by Mia Ford
“Not necessarily,” Davenport shrugged. “You’re building a good rapport with your clients, who will recommend you to friends, and ultimately increase your income. Even if you make less money in the short term, it does help to set you up for long term success. Good business decisions aren’t determined by the amount of money you bring in on a short-term basis.”
Veronica nodded. She couldn’t agree more.
“Besides,” Davenport went on, and his tone softened. “It speaks highly of your character to know that you are willing to be flexible when providing a service for those less fortunate.”
“Well, I certainly wasn’t always as fortunate as I am today,” Veronica said with a shrug.
“Neither was I,” Davenport let out a low chuckle.
“Oh?” Veronica raised her brows, curious.
“I grew up in the system,” Davenport confessed. “I didn’t always end up in the best homes.”
“Oh,” Veronica blinked, a surge of sympathy flowing through her. “Did you ever…?”
“Get adopted?” Davenport gave her a smirk. “No. I was in and out of homes until I aged out.”
Veronica couldn’t control her emotions for a moment. She hadn’t had the most opulent upbringing, but at the very least she had her family. She couldn’t imagine going through the nightmare of being transferred from one foster home to the next for the entirety of her childhood.
“I’m so sorry,” Veronica said, her voice soft. Davenport gave her a gentle smile.
“It’s quite alright,” he comforted her. “As you see, I managed to rise above my circumstances.”
Veronica could clearly see that was true, and she was glad that he had been able to elevate himself to this status.
“And as you can imagine, I want to do everything in my power to provide my little girls with the kind of childhood that I didn’t have,” he explained. “Which is why I am looking for a nanny for them in the first place. And also, why I would very much like it if that nanny was you.”
Veronica choked a little on the coffee she had been sipping, her head spinning at the sudden turn in conversation.
“Are you serious?” Veronica asked, and Davenport laughed a little.
“I am very serious,” Davenport gave a single nod. “I am offering you the job if you want it.”
Veronica’s head spun. She had certainly not expected to be offered a job immediately in the interview.
“I don’t know what to say,” Veronica shook her head from side to side, still in disbelief.
“Well, don’t say anything for the moment,” Davenport held up a hand. “I will have Lynn send you home with a file of paperwork detailing the requirements of the job, the pay, and all manner of details. You can take it home and peruse it, and if you should say yes, you can sign the documents and report to my estate in the morning to start. If you have to decline for any reason, just send me an email, and I’ll understand completely.”
Veronica had to work hard to keep her jaw from dropping. This was all moving so fast, and she could hardly keep up. She shook her head a little, reminding herself that she had to respond.
“I can’t tell you how much this means to me,” Veronica said, laughing in disbelief. “Thank you so much.”
“Well, don’t thank me just yet,” Davenport laughed. “I’ve heard I can be a hard man to work for.”
Veronica laughed, and she followed suit as Davenport rose from his seat.
“It was a pleasure to meet you Miss Lawrence,” he said, holding out his hand, which Veronica immediately took and firmly shook.
“Again, I can’t thank you enough for this opportunity,” Veronica said, almost giddy.
Davenport laughed, and held his arm toward the door.
“Let me walk you out,” he offered. Veronica felt his hand on the small of her back, and she stiffened as she felt a shiver roll up her spine. She stopped cold, and looked up to meet Davenport’s intense gaze. She saw a glint of some emotion in his dark eyes, and she felt her mouth go dry.
They lingered that way for a long moment, and Veronica was certain that something had passed between them.
“After you,” Davenport spoke again, his voice sounding to her like a soft growl.
After another shiver racked her body, Veronica shook herself and moved forward toward the door. She couldn’t tell if she was more grateful or disappointed when they were no longer alone, greeted by Lynn.
“Lynn, will you give Miss Lawrence the necessary documentation to begin her employment?” Davenport addressed her politely. Lynn looked over at Veronica and her face lit up.
“Of course!” Lynn said happily, and turned to open a drawer of one of the filing cabinets behind her desk.
“I have to go back to my office and look over a few papers before my next meeting,” Davenport looked down at Veronica from his superior height. “It really was a pleasure meeting you today, and I certainly hope I will see you tomorrow. Until then, have a wonderful remainder of your day, and if I don’t see you, I hope you have a wonderful life.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you as well,” Veronica managed to say, though she was certainly having trouble forming coherent thoughts with his eyes lingering on her as they were. “And I hope the same.”
Davenport lingered for a moment more, letting his eyes sweep up and down her body, before he turned and stepped back into his office, the door closing behind him. Veronica stared at the door for a moment after it shut, her mind still racing from what had just happened.
“I think he likes you!” Lynn said excitedly as she placed the papers on the desk for Veronica to retrieve. “Congratulations! I think that was the fastest interview he’s ever had! Well, at least since I’ve started working here.”
“Thank you,” Veronica said as she collected the papers, sliding them into her briefcase. She felt numb, and she couldn’t get the image of Davenport’s dark eyes out of her head.
“All you have to do is read over them and sign on the dotted lines,” Lynn said cheerily.
“Thanks,” Veronica said. “It was great to meet you, and thank you so much for being so encouraging and positive.”
“Just doing my job,” Lynn smiled brightly. “Have a wonderful day!”
“You too,” Veronica smiled, and then headed back toward the elevator.
Veronica couldn’t stop thinking about her interview as she headed out of the building and down the street back toward her apartment. Her mind was a little hazy, and while she wanted to be feeling excitement over her new job, her mind lingered instead on the man who had given it to her.
There was something about being near to him that made her feel electric. Like he was passing his energy directly into her just through his proximity. His easy smile and low voice served to draw her in, but the constant fire in his eyes kept her just enough on edge to keep her from getting too close.
It was a delightful combination, and she contemplated her own reaction to him even as she arrived at her apartment, being sure to close and lock the door behind her. She moved into her bedroom and changed out of her dress clothes, hanging them back up in the closet, except for her shirt, which she tossed in the hamper.
She still had a few hours before she had to babysit, so she decided to head to the gym. She changed into a pair of yoga pants and a sports bra and tank top and tightly tied on her tennis shoes. The gym was only a half- mile away, so she set off at a jog.
As she made her way there, she felt the reality of her situation sink in. Frank Davenport had offered her the job. This created a complicated mix of emotions within her. While she was happy to have gotten it, she knew this meant that she would be in close proximity to him… and she wasn’t entirely sure how that made her feel.
Veronica tried to sort through her emotions as she worked out, which was having a negative impact on her form, and keeping her from getting the most out of her time there. Frustrated, she set down the dumbbells she had been trying to curl, and moved over to get a drink from the fountain.
She shook her head, and determined to focus enough to get through the rest of her workout. She was by no means skinny, but she loved to be healthy, and to maintain her curvaceous figure. So, she cleared her mind, and got through the rest of her workout, and then jogged home.
Once inside, she stretched herself out and then undressed to get in the shower, wrapping her hair up before stepping under the flow of the water. Once she was clean, she moisturized her skin with coconut oil and changed into a loose t-shirt and some shorts, then moved to sit on the couch and watch TV before she had to start getting ready for work.
No sooner had she settled on the couch than her phone started to vibrate on the coffee table. She looked at the screen, and her Picture ID of Calvin appeared on the screen. She picked up the phone and answered it.
“Hello,” she answered easily, her eyes still lingering on the show she had been watching.
“Hey, you never called me!” Calvin said, his voice full of energy. Veronica felt a surge of guilt, not just for forgetting to call him, but for all the thoughts she had been having about Davenport.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Veronica sat up on the couch, and picked up the remote, turning off the television. “I just completely forgot.”
“It’s okay, you’re fine,” Calvin insisted, and Veronica could tell he was eager to hear about the interview. “How did it go?”
Veronica hesitated a moment, wanting to leave him in as much suspense as she possibly could.
“It went...” Veronica hesitated, and dragged it on for as long as possible. “It went great. He offered me the job.”
“Veronica that’s amazing!” Calvin shouted into the phone, and Veronica pulled the receiver away from her ear.
“I know, I know,” she laughed lightly into the phone. “I could hardly believe it.”
“Well wait hold on,” Calvin sounded suddenly concerned. “You said he offered you the job?”
“Yes,” Veronica confirmed.
“Well did you take it?” he asked, his voice insistent.
“Not yet,” Veronica answered.
“What?” Calvin exclaimed. “Why not?”
“Well, he gave me a bunch of paperwork to go through,” Veronica explained. “He said to look it over, and that I could make my decision from there.”
“Well, have you looked at it?” Calvin asked her, and she could hear the irritation creeping into his voice.
“Not yet,” Veronica said none too snappily. “I thought it would be best if we looked through it together. I don’t want to make any decisions without your input.”
“Oh…” Calvin said, and she could hear his tone become gentler. “I guess that’s very thoughtful of you.”
“Yeah,” Veronica sighed into the phone, shaking her head. “I was thinking we could go over it tonight after dinner, since Mr. Davenport wants my answer by tomorrow.”
“Wow,” Calvin said, his voice surprised. “That seems a little soon.”
“Well, there’s not much paperwork,” Veronica shrugged.
“Well, I mean it’s a good job,” Calvin mused. “I hope you’re considering saying yes.”
“Oh, I am,” Veronica nodded, though she felt a little guilty for her own reasons for wanting to accept the job, an image of Davenport floating around in her mind. “I think it should be a really good job.”
Veronica heard Calvin release a sigh over the phone.
“I’m so glad to hear you say that,” Calvin laughed lightly. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want to take the job even if he offered it.”
“Well we can look through the paperwork together tonight, and we will make a decision together,” Veronica said, knowing those were the words that would make him the happiest.
“Wow, I honesty just can’t believe you’re being so open,” Calvin said. “I know we still have to go through the paperwork and everything, but I just want to say again that I’m already so happy with your giving all this a go in the first place.”
“Well whatever it takes to make you happy,” Veronica said, and she hoped he didn’t hear the hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“Well I really appreciate that,” Calvin said, and Veronica felt a little guilty again.
“Alright, well you get back to work,” Veronica said. “I’m going to start getting ready for work.”
“Okay babe,” Calvin said nicely. “I’ll see you when I get home tonight.”
“See you,” Veronica said monotonously. “Bye.”
Veronica set the phone back on the coffee table with a sigh. She knew she couldn’t ever tell Calvin about how attracted she was to Davenport, but a part of her felt like concealing that fact was deceptive. At the end of the day, she was only concealing it to spare his feelings, and that would have to be enough.
Besides, it wasn’t as if anything would ever come of her attraction to Frank Davenport. He was likely the object of attraction for many women, and surely nothing ever came of it. After all, he was hiring her as his babysitter, so there was likely already another woman in his life.
Veronica shook her head and decided to focus on the job she had at hand. This was a particularly good group of kids, and all she would have to do was watch them for a couple of hours before their parents got home from work.
Veronica changed into a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt, then gathered up her purse and left the house, being sure to bring her wallet and phone charger with her just in case.
It didn’t take her long to arrive at the house, just before the kids got there. She liked working with them. The oldest, a girl, liked to sit and read, and the younger one liked to talk to her about whatever had happened throughout his day. The hours passed quickly, and before long their parents were home.
By the time she returned home, it was about six thirty at night. She was already mentally preparing herself for the dinner she would have to cook, and to read over the paperwork Davenport had given her. She turned her key in the lock and stepped into the house, only to be taken completely by surprise.
Calvin stood by her chair at the dining table, which was decorated by a red tablecloth, and had a candle burning in the center. On the plates was her favorite dish, chicken parmesan, as well as a large bowl of salad. She looked up at him surprise, and his face broke out in a smile.
“This is…” Veronica started, and struggled to find words. “Wow.”
“I wanted to surprise you!” Calvin laughed, and moved to take her purse from her shoulder, setting it by the hall tree. He then led her over to the table, pulling out a chair for her and helping her to sit down.
“Well I’m definitely surprised,” Veronica said, giving him a soft smile.
“I am just really happy for you,” Calvin said, leaning down to give her a kiss. “And I can’t wait to look through all this paperwork with you so that we can decide if you actually want to take the job!”
Veronica nodded, and began to help herself to the salad he had prepared for her.
“I mean, whatever you decide,” Calvin waved a fork in the air as he spoke. “I’m happy you even went to the interview and that you impressed him enough that he offered you the job.”
Veronica felt a little deceitful. If Calvin had seen the relaxed, almost too personal nature of the interview, he would likely not have been half as impressed. Still, she had not seen Calvin so excited or even remotely happy in months, and she didn’t want to lose the atmosphere of the moment.
“Well maybe we can celebrate a little after we look through all the paperwork,” Veronica suggested, allowing her voice to take on a darker inflection.
Calvin looked up at her and blinked, obviously taken aback by the suggestion.
“Oh, well I mean yeah, we’ll have to see!” he said, and Veronica couldn’t help but be a little disappointed by his lack of enthusiasm. Still, he had done all this for her, and to pressure him into having sex wouldn’t exactly be very fair of her.
Veronica allowed them to settle into a comfortable silence. She did her best to enjoy her meal, but she c
ould feel that Calvin was practically itching to just clear the table and break out the paperwork. So, as much as she would have liked to relax and savor this meal, she hurried up for his sake.
When they were finished, they both worked together to clear the table and clean the dishes. Then, without prompting, Veronica moved to retrieve her briefcase. She moved over to the couch in front of the coffee table, and spread out the papers along its surface.
Calvin was at her side in almost an instant, eagerly looking over the multiple sheets of paper.
“Okay, we can take turns reading all the papers, and when we are both finished,” she said calmly. “We can discuss the contents. Deal?”
“Deal,” Calvin said eagerly, and immediately snatched up the thickest stack of papers.
Veronica sighed a little, and took up a paper of her own. Over the course of about thirty minutes, they had both read all the papers. For the most part, it was all standard issue legal information, including a nondisclosure agreement. That was not unexpected for Veronica, as she would be working in his home and she would be bound to be exposed to something or other that he didn’t want discussed in the long run.
What Veronica did not expect, though, was for a part of their arrangement to be that she take up residence in his home. There would be a private room and bathroom expressly for her, and she would have complete access to the kitchen. The purpose of this was that he often had to be away on business, and he needed someone whose presence his children could become accustomed to.
In addition to watching his children, she was expected to take care of a few of various household tasks. While there was a housekeeping staff, there were a few things that required a more personal touch, such as cleaning bedrooms and doing laundry. This took Veronica a little off guard, but it was nothing too different than what she did at the houses she already worked for.
She would not be expected to remain at the house at absolutely all times, and she would be allowed to take time for herself if it was needed. Any time he was at the home in the afternoons and evenings, she would not be required to be there, but she was to be in the house by ten o’clock each night, unless she had requested off. Which, if he was at work in the day, meant she essentially had a full-time job.