Live-In Position

by V. S. Tice

  “Allison…” Dr. Bishop appeared and grabbed her by her arm.

  “Collin,” Larissa shouted in panic.

  “That’s enough from you,” he growled two inches from Allison’s unwavering face.

  “I’m only getting started. Like father, like son, huh?” She became manic again.

  “ENOUGH!” Allison, Larissa, and I all flinched at the roar. He turned to Larissa. “Take her inside. I’m going to call Dr. Banner to come and see her tomorrow.”

  “Do you really think that’s necessary?” Larissa looked worried.

  “Have you been paying attention at all?” Dr. Bishop raised an eyebrow.

  “She’s just hurt and sad –”

  “And she needs to get some sort of help to deal with this…situation,” he decided and motioned for Larissa to take Allison inside.

  I knew it was time to escape, but my feet didn’t move fast enough. Dr. Bishop grabbed my waist.

  “I, I’m sorry about –”

  “It’s fine. Allison got home safe so…that’s all that matters.” I pulled away, but he wouldn’t let go. Heat flared beneath my skin, jolts of need pulsed between my thighs.

  Why did he have such drastic effects on me?

  “Not just about that, but…the things she said, they were –”

  “Forgotten already. She’s never liked me.” I forced a smile and tried to move away again. The zinging current his touch provided was spreading fast. “I should go check on Victoria.”

  “She’s asleep. I checked on her before I came down to…leave.” His eyes started to get that familiar look. I bit my lip. “I apologize for my sister and for my behavior as well.”

  “It’s fine, really. No big deal.”

  He felt my muscles tense and held tighter, moving closer to me.

  “Why do I feel this connection to you?” He searched my face.

  “W-what?” My eyes widened at his question. I started to back away.

  “You don’t feel it?” His brow furrowed.

  “I, I –”

  He cut me off with his lips. When my back pressed against the car, I had flashbacks of his drunken visit to my room. My body only welcomed the feel of his soft lips, the taste of his tongue, and the familiarity of his hands on my arm and waist. I melted into him. His lips moved against mine, and he sought out entrance. When I didn’t grant it, he growled and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I gasped. His tongue slid into my mouth and tangled with mine. I fisted the front of his shirt with both hands and began to kiss back.

  Then reality crashed down on me. I was the nanny. His live-in nanny. He was my

  . Allison’s words snuck into my head: “live-in whore.” I froze and he felt my reaction.

  He stopped and pulled back his head. Panic filled my chest. Hyperventilation wasn’t too far behind. Unclenching his shirt, I pressed my palms to his chest and pushed him away, shaking my head.

  “I-I’m sorry –” I broke free of his hold and ran into the house.

  I heard him yell for me during my retreat, but I couldn’t look back. Once in Victoria’s room, I closed the door behind me, leaned against it, and slid to the floor.

  Chapter Fourteen

  WE WOKE TO an overcast morning, hoping it would clear up by the time we reached the beach. With only a little over a week left before we returned to Seattle, we wanted to get as much fun in the sun as possible.

  After breakfast was eaten and cleared from the table, we went upstairs to our rooms and prepared for the day. Once we were all ready, we gathered on the second floor, then we heard Larissa scream.

  “Allison, no! Oh god, Allison, what have you done?!” We heard things falling.

  “Take Victoria.” I ran toward Allison’s room and pounded on the door. “Larissa?” I shouted and tried the door. It was locked. “Larissa,” I yelled again. William appeared next to me and tried the door.

  “It’s locked.”

  William backed up to the other side of the hall.

  “Stand back,” he ordered. I moved out of the way. One quick look over my shoulder told me Amber had taken the kids downstairs. William rushed by me and slammed into the door. The doorframe complained loudly as it cracked and flew open. We rushed in and found Larissa holding Allison in her arms.

  “What happened?” I asked, kneeling down to Larissa.

  “Sh-she…she took all of them.” Larissa looked at the empty brown prescription bottle on the table.

  “Get her to the bathroom,” William ordered.

  I helped Larissa carry her into the bathroom, and William put Allison into the bathtub.

  “Call 911.” William leaned Allison forward and stuck his fingers into her throat.

  “I already did,” Larissa sniffed and grabbed onto me for support.

  I wrapped my arms around her. William kept gagging Allison. Finally, her body jerked and she started vomiting into the tub.

  “Come on, Mrs. Bedford,” William urged. I could hear the ambulance sirens getting closer. “Get me a washcloth or something.”

  I moved away from Larissa and tossed a towel to him. Then I went back and soaked a washcloth in cold water, quickly carrying it over.

  He wiped off Allison. Then reached and turned on the cold water. Allison started to jerk a little bit and slur out profanities, protesting against the water.

  “Stay awake, Allison.” I grabbed her shoulders to help keep her upright.

  Amber must have let the paramedics in because they started rushing into the bathroom. The tallest and heaviest of the two were asking questions about what happened. Larissa told them about the pills and what William did to help.

  “Larissa, what happened?” Connor burst into the very crowded bathroom. Larissa ran into his arms, sobbing.

  “We need to clear out this bathroom,” the paramedic ordered. We left them to do their jobs.

  “Oh, Connor. I never thought she was this bad,” Larissa sobbed. He rubbed her back.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “Is she okay?” A soft voice spoke from the doorway. My jaw dropped.

  There, in the doorway, was an exact replica of Allison, only older. They had the same hair color, the same build, facial features and skin tone. This was Juliet Pierce, infamous nanny, mistress, and biological mother. Tear tracks were on her cheeks.

  “We aren’t sure yet,” Connor said in a defeated tone. His eyes stayed on the bathroom door.

  Two days passed. Dr. Bishop arrived at the house to inform us we would be going back to Seattle the next day.

  The next morning we loaded things into cars and prepared for the drive back. I was taking one last run through the third floor when Dr. Bishop caught me by surprise.

  “Miss Ashwood, we should discuss some things.” He cleared his throat.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. Without turning around, I spoke. “There’s nothing to discuss. I’ll put my resignation in when we get back to –”

  “Your resignation?” My statement genuinely surprised him. Facing him, I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  “Yes. I figured you would request that I –”

  “Why would I…” he trailed off. “Oh.” His brow furrowed. “I wasn’t… What I mean to say is that I wasn’t referring to that situation at the moment.”

  Great, he wasn’t talking about that situation. Way to make an ass out of yourself, Soph.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Yes, well…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re planning to leave then?” His eyes bore into mine.

  “I think it’s probably the appropriate thing to do, given the circumstances.” Tears formed in my eyes. I wanted to run from this conversation. Victoria’s face filled my mind, and it was crushing me. I would have to explain I was leaving. “I can stay on until you find a replacement, if necessary.”

  “I see.” He stared at me intently, and I felt more and more uncomfortable with every second that ticked by.

  “What was it you wanted to discuss?”

  “Yes, um, it see
ms that Grace does not want to give up her ‘rights’ to Victoria so I’ll be going to court for the custody hearing. You, uh, may be called upon to testify or to bring Victoria in to speak with attorneys.”

  I nodded in understanding. The intensity of his eyes seared me, becoming too much. I walked toward the stairs, leaving him in the hallway.

  After a quiet car ride, we arrived back to Seattle and an empty kitchen. Victoria decided on Chinese so we headed to a local restaurant. I made sure Victoria sat between Dr. Bishop and me. I wasn’t experienced with the games he might be playing and felt a little guilty for hiding behind Victoria. It was still a mystery to me how the Antichrist and Hell Harpy could possibly create the red-headed angel.

  Victoria talked about how fun vacation had been and how she hoped it was warm enough to swim tomorrow. She kept the mood light and easy. When dinner finished, we rode home in silence, until Dr. Bishop’s cell phone rang.

  “Hello?…We’ll be home shortly, what’s wrong?…Oh, no, no, of course she can.” There was a long pause. “The code is 1917…Yes, I changed it.”

  Sighing heavily he hung up the phone and cleared his throat. In my peripheral vision, I noticed him glance at me and then back to the road.

  “We will be having visitors staying with us.” I couldn’t tell if he was irritated or nervous.

  “Okay.”

  “Allison will be staying for a few weeks.”

  I tensed. “Oh, uh …”

  “She needs to be under constant supervision, and since I will be home for the next couple of weeks…” He paused. “It just works out.”

  I nodded, not caring if he could see the action or not.

  “William and the boys will be over frequently, of course, but most of the time they will be staying in their own home with Jonathan.”

  I shot a look at him. He caught that and nodded. To my surprise, despite Allison telling Jonathan to leave, he was still at their house.

  “Yes, Jonathan is at their home. It is one of the reasons they don’t want to take her there.” I nodded again and looked out the window.

  “Juliet Pierce will also be visiting and possibly staying with us as well.”

  “Dr. Bishop, it’s your home. Whoever you wish to stay can obviously –”

  “I want you to be aware, that’s all,” he said quickly. His knuckles whitened with his grip on the steering wheel. I closed my mouth and remained silent for the remainder of the drive.

  Over the next couple of days the house was full of people. Allison, Juliet, Connor, William, the twins, and a homecare nurse were regulars. Larissa visited frequently to help with Allison who didn’t leave her room.

  Dinner had become much more of an event, but thankfully Juliet could cook and was willing to help out. Mrs. Baker brought in a helper to assist her with the extra housework as well.

  Dr. Bishop was home, but he was only seen in snippets. He was usually in his office, just as before. I had to admit the normality of it made me feel slightly better.

  I had yet to submit my resignation, but I knew I needed to. The plan was to complete the letter and put it in his office box tonight. Then I would have to talk with Victoria, once a final day was arranged.

  That night I finalized the letter, printed it out, and signed it. It felt like I was walking toward my execution as I padded toward his office door. I stopped at the box and stared at it for a long time before I put the letter inside and walked away.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A WEEK AND a half passed. I had only seen Dr. Bishop briefly, and my resignation was never brought up when we did speak. I started to wonder if he was purposely avoiding the conversation. I decided that if he wouldn’t speak on it, then I would need to talk to him.

  I realized I couldn’t just leave Victoria during the custody case. That would be cruel. She would feel abandoned and I couldn’t be part of that, but I did need to know how long Dr. Bishop would take to hire a new nanny. Given the fact he hadn’t appeared very often, I was surprised when he interrupted an intense game of “Go Fish” between Victoria, me, William, and the twins.

  “Miss Ashwood?” I turned around in the kitchen chair.

  “Yes, Dr. Bishop?”

  “Can I speak with you for a moment?” He walked out of the doorway and out of sight. I put my cards down on the table.

  “No cheating,” I teased William and walked away. Rounding the doorframe, I ran into Dr. Bishop. I blinked a couple of times and jerked myself back.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled. He cleared his throat.

  “Victoria needs to be present tomorrow at the courthouse.” I nodded in understanding. “We will be leaving here around ten in the morning. She is going to be interviewed by a social worker.” I watched his eyes harden.

  “A social worker?”

  “I know,” he sighed out. “Grace is claiming Victoria needs a mother figure in her daily life, and since I travel frequently, she should be awarded full custody.”

  My mouth opened slightly and I had to bite my tongue from screaming and cursing.

  “Please be ready to leave the house by ten.” I nodded. “Okay,” he hesitated, “and don’t be surprised if they ask questions of you or regarding you.” He looked at me nervously.

  “Regarding me?” I figured that they would want information regarding the nanny, but he made it sound like something else.

  “Grace has been making inappropriate comments about…you living in the house with us.” My eyes widened. “I know, and I’m sorry.” He quickly tried to calm my growing anger. “She is simply using it as a tactic.”

  The image of us tangled on my couch followed by the image of me pressed against Allison’s car flickered in my mind. I took a deep, cleansing breath through my nose before responding.

  “Okay.” I forced a smile.

  “Thank you,” he stated. There was something in his eyes that made me think he wanted to say something else. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, then he walked away.

  The next morning, I had Victoria up, fed, and dressed by nine. I hurried through my routine to be ready by nine-thirty. That gave us thirty minutes to talk about what was going to happen. I didn’t want her to be unprepared.

  “Victoria, today you are going to talk to a person who is going to ask you questions about your father, about your family, and even about me. I want you to answer her honestly, okay?”

  “Why are they going to ask me questions?”

  I sighed.

  “Um…your mother…”

  “You mean Grace,” she corrected.

  “Okay, Grace wants you to come and live with her.”

  “What?” she shrieked. “I don’t want to live with her!”

  “I know, I know, now calm down.” I pulled her into my lap and held her, “That is why your father is trying to talk with these people and with your, um, with Grace – so you can keep living here with him.” I hoped I wasn’t royally screwing up this conversation.

  “Why does she want me now?” Victoria laid her head on my shoulder, and I tightened my embrace.

  “Because everyone loves you.” I kissed the top of her head. “Who wouldn’t want a smart, fabulous, and beautiful little girl to live with them? Hmm?”

  “Do you want me to live with you?” she asked.

  “I do live with you, silly,” I teased her.

  “No, I mean, would you want me too?” She picked her head up and looked into my eyes.

  Knowing I wasn’t going to be working here forever, especially under the current circumstances, it was killing me to answer.

  “Of course I would.” I grabbed her into a large hug. “And don’t you ever forget that, okay?”

  She nodded against my chest and wrapped her arms around me.

  “I love you, Sophia.”

  I felt a tear slip down my cheek. “I love you, too,” I whispered back to her.

  “Are we ready to go?” Dr. Bishop’s voice snapped us out of our moment.

  “Yes,” I answered quickly and wiped off my
face.

  He furrowed his brow. “Is everything okay?”

  I nodded and walked hand in hand with Victoria to get our jackets.

  When we entered the law office, Grace’s voice rang out true and clear.

  “Victoria, baby!” she shouted and hurried to her. Victoria scooted behind me, and Grace stopped short. She glared. “You’ve turned her against me, haven’t you?”

  “Grace, that will be enough.” Dr. Bishop moved to stand between us.

  “Of course you would defend her,” she spat. “This is what I mean. It is inappropriate for you to have Victoria in your home when you are sleeping with her nanny!”

  My fists clenched, and the urge to pummel her was strong. I scowled.

  “Your allegations are ridiculous, and you know it,” he growled through clenched teeth. “Now leave them be.”

  Victoria tugged on my hand so I leaned down to her.

  “Hmm?”

  “You and daddy sleep together?” Her brow wrinkled in misunderstanding.

  My anger tripled in that moment. That stupid selfish bitch didn’t even think about what she was saying in front of her daughter.

  “Victoria, I’m always with you, right?” She nodded. “Do your daddy and I ever sleep together?”

  She shook her head. “No, but why would she say that?” I shrugged.

  “I think she is just mad and jealous that I get to have sleepovers with you. That’s all.”

  “Oh.” By the crease of her brow, I could tell she was still confused but was thankfully letting it go.

  I stood back up and came face to face with Dr. Bishop. He lightly smiled and motioned for us to sit on a nearby bench. We sat for fifteen minutes before a man in dark gray pants, a crisp white shirt, and a maroon tie walked out from behind a dark wooden door.

  “Dr. Bishop,” he greeted him with a handshake.