by Lila Bella
And underneath it all, I heard silence. They were both still asleep. With a smile on my face, I grabbed my towel and dried off. It was as if life had returned to normal.
When I left the bathroom in boxers and a t-shirt, I glanced over at my nanny’s curled figure, the covers pulled tight around her, curled up in my bed.
I wasn’t finished with her. I wanted to explore that tight little body some more, but I knew it was going to have to wait. My daughter was stirring, and it was time to start the day.
4 - Hollie
“Good morning. I wanted to give you a few more minutes to sleep.” Jude was already downstairs in the kitchen with Kaylee when I came down after waking up.
“Thanks, but didn’t you hire me to take care of Kaylee for you?” I checked on her. She looked like she’d already eaten, and her diaper was flat, fresh.
“Sure, but you had a rough night last night, between the two of us keeping you up.” He looked up from what he was cooking on the stove.
I chuckled. He had no idea that he’d actually helped me sleep better than I had been able to before going into Kaylee’s room to check on her in the middle of the night.
I walked into the kitchen to see what he was doing. He positioned himself so I couldn’t see the food in the skillet.
“What are you cooking?” I asked.
“Breakfast. We’ve got bacon, and I’m scrambling eggs, so you’re right on time. I’ve got a couple of biscuits in the oven for us as well.”
“A couple? I hope they’re big.” I stepped around him to look through the little window in the oven door. The light wasn’t on, so I couldn’t see the biscuits inside.
“Hey, go sit down with Kaylee. Let me treat you this morning.”
“Don’t you have a cook? Shouldn’t he be handling breakfast for us?” I reached in the fridge and grabbed the bottle of orange juice.
“I don’t eat breakfast much during the week,” Jude answered, “so I don’t mind cooking it myself every once in a while. I can put him on every morning, it’s no big deal.”
“Oh no, I can cook my own breakfast.”
“Yeah but, you shouldn’t have to. Kaylee is enough to keep you busy. I’ll have him here first thing tomorrow morning. Let him know what you like for breakfast when he shows up today. That way he can make a breakfast menu and make sure we have what he needs.”
He was already plating our breakfast, and bringing it over to the table. He went back and checked the oven.
“Juice?” I held up the bottle after I finally poured my glass.
“I’ve got some coffee, thanks.” He winked as he pulled out the biscuits and brought them over as well.
We sat down and ate breakfast, just the three of us. It felt surreal, like a grownup game of house, except I wasn’t the mommy. I was the nanny and the mommy was absent, which still bothered me a little, as I wondered what had happened between them.
I didn’t want to bring it up, though. I knew better than to do anything that would jeopardize what I had, especially if it meant possibly losing nights like the previous one.
I was still sore from how he’d stretched me with his girth. He’d filled me so completely his shaft had hit every spot I needed him to, effortlessly.
Suddenly, all I could think about was having him inside me again. I wondered if he considered sex one of my duties as his nanny, or if it had been a fluke, an accident—like we’d been in the wrong place at the right time, and it happened.
“I’m going to go shopping today to pick up some things we need for Kaylee.”
“Let one of my guys take care of it for you. All you have to do is make a list… they’ll pick it up for you.” He dabbed the corners of his lips with his napkin, looking at me with those intense blue eyes.
“No, I think it will do her some good to get out of the house, and I have to go back to my place to pick up a few things.” I needed clothes, for one, and some of my toiletries.
He cocked his head. “I don’t know about that.”
At least I knew where the limits were. I could understand if he didn’t want me taking Kaylee too far off the beaten path.
Maybe taking her by my place was too personal, too much like trying to take her away. I didn’t know, but I could see from his expression and hear from his tone that it made him uncomfortable to think about it. I didn’t press the issue.
“Why don’t you go buy new clothes? I’ll pick up the tab. Here.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He slid a credit card across the table to me. “Get anything you need, and one of my guys can escort you if you’d like.”
“I don’t think an escort will be necessary, but thank you for the card.” I picked it up and looked it over, still in the t-shirt and panties I’d worn to bed the night before.
“Yeah, go ahead and get anything you and Kaylee need. Just, please, let my driver take you at least.”
“Fair enough. I can do that.”
“Excellent. There will be someone here all day, whenever you need him.”
This new life was a little strange, having people at my beck and call. Realizing I was expected to use their services instead of doing things for myself was even stranger to me.
And on top of that, Jude was acting like money wasn’t an issue, as if he had an endless supply. Maybe he did; I didn’t know for sure.
“I’ve got to get running, I need to get to the office. If you need anything, my number is on the fridge. If you can’t get me on my cell, call the office.”
He folded his napkin and left it on the table next to his plate. He kissed Kaylee on the forehead and kissed me on my cheek before grabbing his jacket and tie from the coat rack. It wasn’t the jacket and tie from the previous evening either; he’d switched them at some point. Or someone had.
I cleaned up after breakfast and carried Kaylee into the carpeted living room where she had a blanket we could put on the floor and some toys she could play with if she was interested.
I wasn’t sure what to do, but she seemed to like lying on her belly on the floor. While I sat there and watched her, I called Violet. After all, she was the one who’d convinced me to go after the job.
“You’re where?”
“You heard me right. I’m at his house with his daughter. I got the job.”
“Awesome, and you thought you weren’t going to be able to get it. So, when do I get to come over?”
“I don’t know, Vi.” I chuckled nervously. It was hard to tell if she was playing or being serious sometimes, so I’d decided years ago to pretty much always play it like she was being serious.
“Come on. Surely, he won’t mind.”
“How about this? I’m going shopping in a bit, and I could really use some help making sure I’ve got everything I need for the baby.”
“The baby?! How baby are we talking here?”
“Six months, I think.”
“He’s got you watching a six-month-old baby? Jesus, Hollie, how much are you getting paid?”
It hit me that we hadn’t talked about payment yet. He was buying everything I needed while providing me with a roof over my head and food every day. I was sure that if we ever ate out, he was probably going to spring for that as well.
I hadn’t thought about compensation beyond that. I’d been overwhelmed by everything around me, by how grand his lifestyle was. I needed to think about rent, my bills, and my debts.
“He is paying you, right?” Violet persisted.
“I’m sure he is, but we haven’t discussed it. I mean, he’s paying for everything and providing me with a place to stay, so I forgot to bring it up, you know?”
She sighed. “What time are you going shopping? I’ll come over then.”
“Whenever you come over I guess. He has a driver here who can take us whenever we’re ready to go.”
“I’m on my way.”
She hung up the phone, and I felt nervous about having her going shopping with me. If Jude didn’t want me taking Kaylee to my place, I wondered how
he would feel about having my best friend accompany us on our outing.
I started rationalizing my decision to take her with me. Violet had a better idea of what I needed to do for a baby than I did. She’d spent more time around children than I had.
I needed her help to get everything. And besides, it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission; that was really what it boiled down to.
She showed up a few minutes after we talked, and I took it as a promising sign when Jude’s staffers didn’t freak out. They treated her like a welcome guest, and she was, for me.
She wanted to see the baby as soon as she came in, and she melted when she saw her. Kaylee seemed to have that effect on everyone.
“Car seat?” Violet asked when we walked out to the car.
I shrugged and shook my head, but the driver laughed as he opened the back door to the car, revealing the seat already in place. I shouldn’t have been surprised, I told myself. It seemed like Jude to have things like that in place.
“Car seat,” I said, stepping aside so Vi could strap her in. We laughed about it as we got in on the other side and rode to the store.
“There’s also a stroller in the back,” the driver informed us as we reached the mall.
“Thanks.”
We hit up the baby store first. Violet had compiled a list of items I absolutely had to have for a six-month-old baby. She spared no expense in making sure Jude’s little girl had the best of everything.
“I’m sending you the links for all the blogs and websites I used for this, okay? That way you’ll have everything you need. Also, we’re going to grab a couple of books for you. You’ve got to promise me you’re going to read all of this so you know what you’re doing.”
She led the way through the store while I followed behind her with the stroller. Meanwhile, Kaylee seemed to be having the time of her life, watching the two of us discuss what we were getting and why, and which blogs to use.
Something about our voices must have been very entertaining to her. Either that, or she really enjoyed being out of the house. I wondered how much she’d gotten out before.
When we left the first store with what seemed like one of everything, I called the driver to meet us so he could take everything to the car for us. He didn’t seem to mind, but I still thanked him and assured him we’d only be a little bit longer. I needed clothes.
“Why don’t you go back to your place?” my best friend asked.
“He doesn’t want me to take her there. He told me to get whatever I need.”
Her eyes grew wide. “We’re going to make you hot, irresistible. He’s going to want you so bad after today, he won’t be able to stop himself.”
I laughed. “I don’t think that’s necessary, Vi.”
“No.” She lowered her voice and leaned toward me. “He’s a billionaire, Hollie. You’ve got to look the part if you’re going to be around him all the time. I mean, this is your chance to land someone who’s really worth your time.”
“I’m not trying to land anybody. What’s going on here? What are you trying to do?”
“Look, trust me. You’ve had some pretty crappy boyfriends in the past, and this is one of the reasons I wanted you to take this job.”
“Wow. You know what—let’s grab my clothes and get back to the house.”
It was an overwhelming revelation. She hadn’t told me she was trying to play matchmaker by sending me to apply for this position. She’d only told me it was because she knew I could do it and because she knew I needed the work.
She’d agreed to help me, like she was doing by going to the mall with me, but I’d never suspected she was setting me up to be like the other girls I’d seen in Jude’s office, the ones who were there looking for romance instead of work.
Little did she know, though, I’d already found some action working for him. If she’d known, she would have been worse—unbearable even. I didn’t tell her.
Instead, we shopped, and I let her pick out a few nicer things, at her insistence of course, in case he decided to take me out or whatever. I grabbed mostly casual, comfortable clothes to wear around the house, or on excursions like the one we were having today, and then we paid.
I hadn’t gotten the hang of spending someone else’s money without a second thought, though she seemed to have no problem at all.
I tried not to hear the total when the sales associate rattled it off, afraid that if I had heard it, I would have returned some, if not all, of the clothes I’d purchased.
We’d taken longer than I had realized, and when we got back to the house, I saw Jude’s car parked in front of the garage.
The driver stopped before the steps leading to the front door, and a member of the house staff opened the door to let us out. Other staffers grabbed what we’d purchased and took it inside. We grabbed Kaylee and started up the steps.
“I want you to meet him before you go,” I told Violet.
“I’m sorry, but your friend can’t come in. Mr. Black wants to see you, alone,” one of the assistants said at the top of the steps.
“Call me. I’ll get out of your hair for now. Sounds like you might be in trouble.”
She gave me a light hug with her hands on my shoulders. Then, she hurried back down the steps, heading toward her car. I braced myself as I went inside.
5 - Jude
“Who’s your friend?”
I didn’t wait for her to have a seat or put Kaylee down before I started in on her when my assistant let her into my home office. She looked confused and hurt by my tone and my sudden question.
I could have laid into her the way I would have any of my other employees, but she wasn’t like any of them. She was closer to me than they were, and my daughter was in her arms, which definitely put her in a higher position than anyone else who worked for me.
Plus, I wasn’t sleeping with any of my other employees like I was with her. That complicated our business relationship, making it more like something casual instead of strictly professional.
It all came together to make it feel like a different approach was more appropriate for her.
“That was Violet. I wanted her to come in to meet you, but they said she couldn’t. She’s the one who told me about the position and convinced me to apply.”
“What was she doing with you today?” Even as she sat down, I stayed standing, my arms crossed in front of my chest.
“She went with us to help me pick out some clothes.”
“Surely, you’re capable of buying your own clothes and dressing yourself.”
“Well, yeah, but you saw what I wore to your office, compared to what all the other girls were wearing. I wanted to make sure I picked out some clothes that were nicer. My taste is very casual, and I don’t have an eye for nicer clothes. Not really.”
She looked at me and shook her head.
“You really need to let me know who is going to be around my daughter when you have her. That’s why I don’t want her going to your place, or anything like that.”
“I’m sorry. It’s not like Violet and I were planning on pulling a fast one, you know. We weren’t going to rob you and kidnap Kaylee or anything like that. She was only helping me.”
I stared at her. I didn’t know how to tell her what I was thinking without making it sound like what she’d done was okay. It wasn’t that I felt like they were trying to pull anything. It was Marie.
I didn’t know where she’d gone when she left, and I didn’t know if she was going to turn up somewhere. That was why I wanted to be careful about letting Kaylee out of the house or out of my sight.
If I couldn’t trust Hollie to keep my daughter to herself, even with her friends, I felt like there was only one option left for me, one way to make sure I didn’t have to worry about her getting caught up in any mess with Marie or anyone else.
“You’re grounded.”
“I’m sorry, I’m what?” She reacted the way I would have expected anyone to react to being told they were grounde
d.
“You’re grounded. I don’t want you leaving the house anymore, not with Kaylee.” I unfolded my arms and rested my hands on the desk.
“You can’t ground me. I’m an adult. What the hell are you trying to pull here? I can’t go out?” She got up, cradling my daughter protectively, as if she were trying to keep her away from me.
“As my employee, I can place restrictions on your activity while performing job related duties. So, as long as my daughter is in your care, I’m going to require you to remain at the house. If you need anything, you can tell a staff member, and they will make sure you get it. Now, I need my card.”
“Here, take your stupid card.” She pulled it out of her back pocket and threw it onto the desk. “Kaylee needs to eat, and she probably needs a diaper change. If you need me, I’ll be in the nursery with her.” She turned and left my office.
I finally sat down, rubbing my hand across my face. I didn’t know where the resistance was coming from.
She’d seemed happy to take the job at first, to stay in my home with me, and to enjoy all the comforts my lifestyle afforded her, but now she was acting like a spoiled child, all because I wasn’t comfortable with her having my daughter—my daughter, not hers—around strangers. I didn’t know her friend.
I had only barely agreed to allow Hollie to go out with Kaylee to begin with, as opposed to letting one of my guys do the shopping for her.
I needed a break, a real break. Having time to get up and shower in the morning without rushing was one thing. I needed a drink, or a few. I called up my boy Lane to see what they were up to.
The boys went out almost every night, and I’d been one of them before Marie left Kaylee with me. I needed to fall off the wagon, at least for the night.
Lane told me to meet up with them at Tic-Toc. It was where we usually went, a high-end bar for professionals and businessmen.
It wasn’t the kind of place where the kids went to get cheap drafts to get wasted. They hosted wine tastings, had champagne parties, and only served top shelf liquor and the finest beers.
I was greeted by low jazz music and a hushed atmosphere when I walked in. It felt like coming home in a way and I immediately relaxed. I walked through the dimly lit room, past the high tables in the front to the booths in the back, where the boys were sitting.