Live-In Position

by V. S. Tice

  “So how much bigger did I get?” She handed over the pair of pants she had been wearing a few moments ago.

  I forced my attention back to Victoria.

  “Um, it seems you’ve grown a lot.” I forced a smile.

  “Victoria, I need to have a word with you.” Dr. Bishop moved away from me as he spoke. I heard the sigh of her mattress as he sat down on it. “Come.”

  Victoria obeyed her father and sat next to him on the bed.

  I couldn’t stand it. Grabbing the pile of clothes that still fit her, I stood from the floor and moved to put her clothes away. As I was placing each garment on a hanger, I could hear the conversation from her closet.

  Dr. Bishop explained to Victoria the judge’s decision. She argued that it wasn’t fair and that she didn’t want to go. He went over the details of the chaperone and made it clear she would not have to spend the night with Grace. I heard the hard stomps of her feet before her bathroom door slammed shut. Dropping my head against the wall in her closet, I sighed heavily.

  “She’s not happy with me.”

  He startled me, and my body went rigid.

  “I heard.” I bit my lip.

  The passion started to build. I think we both realized at the same moment that I would have nowhere to run to. “I should check on her.” My words came out quickly as I brushed by him.

  I knocked lightly on her bathroom door.

  “Victoria?” I could hear her sniffling. “Can I come in?”

  “No,” she sniffed.

  “Please?” I placed my palm against the door.

  “No,” she sniffed again.

  “Okay,” I resigned. “I’m going to go make some cookies so when you feel like coming out, I’ll be in the kitchen.” I waited for a few moments, but she didn’t say a word. I left her room and went down to prepare for baking.

  I combined ingredients, mixed and stirred, and spooned the cookie dough onto cookie sheets. She never showed. When I finished baking all the cookies, I poured a glass of milk and put some cookies on a plate before going back to her room.

  Victoria’s bedroom door was still open so I walked right in. My first glance was to the bathroom door, which was now open. Then my eyes landed on the bed, and I stopped mid-stride. Dr. Bishop rested against the headboard, his head lolled back and eyes closed. Victoria clung to his chest. The warmth of the moment would forever weaken his icy persona. I quietly padded out of the room.

  It was about two hours later when Victoria burst into my bedroom. I was sitting at my desk working on my book.

  “Hey, you. Are you feeling better?” I closed my laptop and sat back in my chair.

  She shrugged. “A little.”

  “Well, that’s better than not at all.” I winked at her and stood up. “How about some cookies?”

  “Before dinner?” There was a gleam in her eye.

  “Yep, a before dinner treat.” We headed to the kitchen. Victoria didn’t mention Grace for the rest of the evening.

  Dr. Bishop disappeared into his office while Victoria and I went about our evening activities. It wasn’t until Victoria was sound asleep that he reappeared.

  “Miss Ashwood.”

  I closed Victoria’s door and spun at the sound of his voice.

  “Quit doing that,” I scolded in a whisper.

  “Doing what?” He arched one eyebrow.

  “Appearing out of nowhere,” I breathed.

  He half grinned.

  “Good night, Dr. Bishop.” I walked to my room.

  I expected him to say something, but he never did. Once in my room, I took a deep breath and grabbed a pair of cotton shorts and t-shirt before heading to the shower.

  The steamy water felt amazing rolling over my bare skin, loosening up some of the tension in my back. My mind went to work trying to process Dr. Bishop’s persistence and what to do about the irrational idea that we should have more than an employee-employer relationship. The moment the water started to cool, I shut off the valve and stepped out of the shower.

  I dried my body and hair before I lathered myself in some lavender relaxation lotion. I slipped on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Since I was only climbing into bed, I decided against underwear and bra.

  The conditioner I used in the shower made my hair easier to brush through before I braided it down my back. I brushed my teeth, and with a final look in the mirror, I headed to my bed. Flicking off the bathroom light, motion around my bed caught my attention, and I stilled.

  “Sophia.” Dr. Bishop’s voice was as intense and cool as always.

  How is it possible for such a cool tone to make fire rip throughout my body? And why oh why did I forego the bra and underwear? The lump in my throat made it impossible for me to respond.

  “Uh…”

  I heard a light chuckle from him.

  “I told you, sleeping without you the night before was not pleasant for me. Not now that I know what it’s like to sleep next to you.”

  His words sent heated waves of embarrassment coursing through my body. I thanked God that the lights were out and he probably couldn’t see the affect he was having on me.

  “Oh.”

  As soon as I managed to squeak out the ridiculous response, I wanted to smack my palm to my face. Before he could say anything else, I slowly approached the bed and slipped under the covers, keeping close to the edge. When my head hit my pillow, his arm slinked around my waist and pulled me toward the middle of the bed.

  “We don’t want you to fall off, now do we?”

  There was no way he couldn’t hear my breathing hitch from his closeness.

  “Dr. Bishop –”

  “Miss Ashwood?” he rebutted.

  “I…I just…I think this is a really bad idea.” My words came out breathier than I intended, and my bottom lip was going to be paying tomorrow for the amount of action my teeth were giving it.

  “And why is that?”

  “You know exactly why,” I snapped.

  “Sophia, we‘ve been over this. There is no way I can stay away from you, especially not now.” His hand cupped my neck, and his thumb traced my jaw.

  “Then perhaps I should move forward with my resignation before –”

  His body shadowed mine just before his lips came at me with ferocity. This time, he was going to consume me.

  “Denied,” he mumbled against my lips before pressing his mouth to mine once more.

  Our mouths and tongues wrestled for dominance. His hand ran up and down my side, prickling my skin with goose bumps. On his third pass over my side, boldness took over his roaming hands. My fingers threaded into his soft hair and I tugged hard. The growl that escaped his chest was unexpected, and it sent flaming tingles in my thighs. My mind and body were already drowning in lust-filled heat. His feather-light touch skimmed over my side and hip. Fingers curled inside the elastic waistband of my shorts and, with a couple of tugs, brought them to the middle of my thighs. Forgetting all my reasons to stop this, I raised my legs, thinking he would slip my shorts all the way off. Instead, the weight of his body lessened. I was a little confused until he returned with his clothing removed.

  “Holy hell, Dr. Bishop,” burst from my mouth as our bodies met.

  “Heaven,” he moaned. His voice was so low I didn’t know if he intended for me to hear him. Dr. Bishop grabbed the shorts resting midway down my thighs, using them as his reigns while his motions increased. He never faltered. I screamed his name and tore at the sheets. My overwhelming release sent him into frenzy. He collapsed forward onto his hands.

  “Christ, Sophia!” he rumbled and reached his end.

  My fingers ached from the tight grip I held on the sheets. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. Soreness already crept into my muscles. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to walk in the morning.

  As my thigh muscles twitched in objection to our position, Dr. Bishop moved over to my side and pulled me toward him. We both lay there, gasping for breath.

  Moments passed before the v
oice of regret reared its ugly realization into my bliss. I could feel the shameful groan about to leave my mouth. The groan became a gasp when Dr. Bishop pulled me closer to his chest and settled in next to my half naked body, his breath against the left side of my face. I knew my mind wouldn’t settle down until I voiced my concerns, but I didn’t know where to begin.

  “Good night, Sophia.” Dr. Bishop’s words were soft and gentle. I had to glance over my shoulder to make sure it was still the same man. There was a fire burning in the depth of his eyes. I couldn’t take my eyes from them.

  “Good night…Dr. Bishop,” I whispered.

  “I think we are beyond that formality at the particular moment. Don’t you agree?” The softness wasn’t there like before, but the fire in his eyes was threatening to consume both of us. Again.

  “Uh…”

  His brow furrowed and the flame dimmed. Oh shit.

  “Do you not want…this?” His apprehension caught me by surprise. He’d been so sure and dominating moments ago.

  His body twitched from the tension rippling through his muscles. My hesitation in responding was clearly not helping the situation.

  “I didn’t intend on forcing you into something –”

  I didn’t want him to think for one moment that he’d forced me to do anything. While I was still unsure of the situation, I knew I wanted him and could have sworn he could tell by my reaction to him just moments earlier. I placed one finger over his lips and smiled sympathetically.

  “You didn’t force me to do anything.”

  “Yet…you regret it?” His hardened eyes bore into me like icicles. It was the same look and tone that earned him the title of the Antichrist in the first place. My initial reaction to the way he spoke and glared was to flinch away from him.

  “You’re pulling away from me.” His conservative and cool nature only made me draw further from him. His body started to go slack around me. He closed his eyes with a sigh.

  “It’s just that…” His eyelids shot open and he searched my face. “I mean, I never…”

  Crap, where do I begin? Thanks for the sex, is there anything else I can do for you sir? Does this mean I get a raise? Ugh!

  “Neither of us intended for this to happen.” The factual quality of his voice swirled around my head. “I have fought this for some time, but there is only so much strength I possess. You are too tempting.”

  Creasing my brow, I bunched my lips up into the corner of my mouth.

  “Would you like me to leave?”

  I bit my lip as multiple emotions flitted through my body. Rational Sophia straightened her spine, scowled at me, and nodded firmly for him to go. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of him leaving me, especially after what had just happened. Did he want to leave? Was this just for the physical pleasure and he could walk away whenever he liked?

  “No,” I choked out.

  “Good, I don’t want to leave.”

  His words were unbelievably relieving. My hand twitched at my side, wanting to trace the lean muscle of his arm. I couldn’t help but hesitate. I didn’t know what I should do. Part of me felt like I had just sold my soul. I closed my eyes and tried to resolve my feelings, but I knew it would be a futile attempt. Sated, I fell asleep in his arms.

  In the morning, we woke in the same position we’d fallen asleep in. Stretching, he caught my leg and pulled me closer.

  “I want you again.” His mouth pressed on my neck, and my fingers were magnetically drawn to his hair. He growled and ran his hands over my body before joining our bodies. His slow determined motions built a fire inside me.

  “Sophia?” Victoria’s shout broke through my lusty haze.

  “Oh shit,” I panicked.

  He faltered for just a moment but didn’t stop.

  “Oh shit!” I growled into his shoulder and bit to stop my scream.

  “Sophia?” Victoria was growing impatient.

  “I’m coming,” I shouted, just as my body erupted. “Oh god…I’m coming!”

  Dr. Bishop’s face buried deep into my neck. “Christ,” he groaned against my skin.

  My doorknob jiggled. I tensed. Shoving him away from me, I hurried out of bed and into my bathroom.

  “Sophia, why is your door locked?” Thank God he thought to lock it.

  “I’m in the bathroom. I’ll be out in a second,” I shouted to her and pushed my bathroom door closed. I gave myself a few human moments.

  Stepping back into my bedroom, I was met with the sight of Dr. Bishop standing beside my bed in only boxer briefs.

  Oh, dear me. Did I really sleep next to that last night? Go me, go me.

  I mentally slapped the inner live-in whore and rushed to get some clothes from my dresser.

  “You need to hide,” I whispered.

  “Hide? I’m supposed to hide in my own house?”

  “Yes, you are supposed to hide,” I hissed. “She can’t see you in here.” I looked over his half-dressed form once again. “Especially like that,” I motioned to his lack of clothing.

  “I suppose you’re right.” His brow furrowed.

  “The bathroom.” I pointed. “Hide in there.”

  He stepped toward me and grabbed me by the back of my neck. My eyes widened. He captured my mouth in a ferocious lip lock.

  “Sophia, come on!” Victoria whined through my door.

  I pushed him away.

  “Stop,” I scolded and pointed to the bathroom. He chuckled and walked through the door, closing it behind him. I sighed, rubbed my face, and stepped to the bedroom door. Victoria was standing with her arms crossed on the other side.

  “Who were you talking to?” She swiveled her head, trying to peek into my room.

  “No one,” I shrugged. “What would you like for breakfast?” I ushered her away from my bedroom and down to the kitchen.

  The entire way I had to field questions: “Why was your door locked? It’s never locked. What took you so long to answer the door? Why were you talking to yourself?” I silently groaned as I tried to deter her inquisitive mind. Finally, she gave up and we silently ate breakfast together. Once we finished eating, we both cleaned up our spots and headed upstairs.

  “Let’s get dressed and then we can head out to start your school shopping, okay?”

  She nodded and headed to her room. I got to my room and shut the door behind me, releasing a large breath.

  What the hell am I doing? This is insane and just…well it’s such a damn cliché. I had become that nanny. Hello, my name is Sophia Ashwood, and I’m a total nanny cliché.

  Chapter Eighteen

  After an exhausting day of school shopping with Victoria, I trudged up to my room and found Dr. Bishop lying on my bed with his laptop. He glanced up at me and grinned.

  “I was wondering if you were ever going to come to bed.”

  Him waiting for me in my bed both excited and worried me. Did he expect to come here every night and have sex? Is this what part of my job was now?

  The thud of his feet onto the carpeted floor snapped me out of my worries. When I looked up, he was standing in front of me.

  “I assume you got my note?” he asked, referring to the invitation he left on my bed this morning requesting I accompany him to lunch this upcoming Saturday. He eyed me closely and cupped my face in his hand. I gave a half smile and nodded.

  “Good.” His hand slid smoothly from my cheek to my neck, and he pulled me against him. “I figure you could go with me to take Victoria to –”

  I pulled back a bit from him when he spoke about Victoria going to visit Grace. His hand returned to my face and tilted it up to so he could look into my eyes.

  “Or perhaps you would rather not go?”

  I didn’t know how to respond. He sighed and pulled me to the bed.

  How can I respond? I don’t know what this is, what we are. One minute we’re having a hidden relationship and the next he wants to go out in public together.

  “You’re pulling away from me again.” It w
as a statement, not a question. “Do you wish for me to leave?”

  I sighed and shook my head. Instead of looking at him, I walked to my dresser and pulled open one of my drawers. As I pushed it shut, I felt his arms snake around my waist. Taking the clothing from my hands, he spun me around to face him.

  “If you don’t want this, please, tell me now.” The chill in his voice made my spine straighten and my jaw tighten.

  “I just…this is just so…” I fought for the right words. Closing my eyes, I finally just blurted it out. “Is this a live-in convenience for you?”

  “What?” He was immediately holding me at arm’s length. When I opened my eyes, I regretted it. The green fire was there, but this time it was filled with was anger and hurt. “Do you think I hire women to come into my home just so I can –”

  “No,” I cut him off. “That’s not what I mean.” I took a deep breath and tried to move away from him. He didn’t let me move.

  “I’m not…good…at this.” It was the first time I’d ever heard him struggle to find a word.

  “Good at what?”

  “Relationship things,” he answered uncomfortably. He began stepping back toward the bed, taking me with him as he went. Once he sat down in front of me, he continued.

  “Grace was the last real relationship I had,” he reluctantly continued. “I‘ve been with women, but it was nothing like Grace. She always held a power over me I just couldn’t break.” He paused for a moment. “Until you.” He looked up at me with the softest expression I’d ever seen on his face, and his eyes melted into green pools of insecurity. “You make me feel…frustrated, angry, jealous,” his face shifted to cold and stern but quickly returned to his soft expression, “intoxicated, consumed, aroused, challenged, and awed. I don’t know how or why, but it’s true.” His arms wrapped around my waist, and the left side of his face rested against my stomach. “I’ve never been this drawn to anyone.”