God.
It's almost like that kid somehow managed to forget that she had a father in her life or something as soon as she found another girl whom she could better relate with.
Another lengthy and solemn sigh escapes me when I suddenly feel a hand touch up against my shoulder. It's Crane, and he looks like he hasn't even broken a single sweat at all since we've started hiking through the woods. Not even with all the extra baggage that he's carrying for us on his back and in his hands.
"Feeling all right, sir? Do you need some help carrying your belongings?" the butler asks as his lips slowly transform into a smile. "Or is there something else the matter that I can maybe help you with?"
"No, Crane. Everything is fine. Perfectly fine," I say with a bitter tone as my eyes remain on the two giggling girls walking ahead of me.
Crane lets out a chuckle and comforts me with a pat on the back. "If it makes you feel any better, we should almost be at the campsite. It's just a few miles further out. We should be there before sun down at the pace that we are going."
"Great. I can't wait."
The butler begins to take a step forward and subsequently leave me behind, his footsteps quickly catching up with the female duo who is leading the pack. All three of them naturally start to engage in standard conversation while I slowly trail behind them like an obvious outcast. I intentionally hang back instead of joining them, my waning confidence unable to find an opening to make an entrance into their lively discussion. It's strange. For the first time in my life, the spotlight isn't completely centered and revolving around me.
I take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Even though my heart feels a bit uneasy with the way the situation and arrangement has turned out to become with Audrey's success and popularity, the warm presence of Teagan's smile is enough to convince me to hold my sour tongue. The last thing I want to do is make this camping trip any worse for myself than it already feels by ruining the positive atmosphere with my resentment and complaints. I just have to suck it up and try to enjoy myself -- no matter how much I actually don't want to be here.
No matter how much of an idiot I realize that I am for putting myself in this position in the first place.
***
"All right! Let's start setting up our tents before it gets too dark and late to see anything," Audrey suggests as she starts to kneel down to pull out her camping supplies from out of her large backpack.
Teagan eagerly nods her head and follows suit by quickly trying to grab her tent out of her belongings as well. Despite making quite a mess in the process of her careless search, she doesn't hesitate to brush Crane aside who attempts to help her in her pursuit of pitching up the tent. The little girl clutches onto her luggage in a possessive manner and states in a small albeit bold and confident voice: "I want to do it by myself. Don't help me."
The cold rejection from Teagan forces Crane to slowly back away from the two girls who seem to be lost in their own little private world. He turns his head toward me for some sort of instruction and direction to follow, but I can only give him a simple shrug. It's not like I have any idea what to do when we're miles away from civilization and stuck in the woods. Not to mention, it's not like I have any particular interest in intruding on the special bonding session that is currently taking place between my daughter and her nanny who are the only two individuals that appear to be having a good time right now.
Yet after a few quiet moments pass with Crane idling away, he promptly clears his throat and says, "Since I assume everyone is rather exhausted and famished from that strenuous hike, I'll begin the dinner preparations now so that we can eat as soon as you're done setting up all of the tents."
"That would be a great idea, Philip. Thank you so much for helping out," Audrey states in the middle of her tent-pitching with a smile. "It's always nice to have an extra pair of hands around to help set up."
The nanny takes a brief glance over at me and I can't help but feel a set of daggers being shot over in my direction. She's clearly taking a jab at me and making no effort to hide it. However, it's not the spite in her voice and remark which ultimately grabs my attention but the fact that she calls Crane by his first name as if they were close friends instead of work peers. The unusual interaction and comment causes me to raise a brow at her.
Philip, huh?
So now they're on a first name basis with each other?
The same bitter feeling rises up again in my chest as I foolishly dwell on the echoes of Audrey's voice saying Crane's name in my head. Something about the way she calls him Philip just doesn't sit right with me, but it's not like I can do anything about it. She's free to call the man by any name she chooses. Even if that name is one which nobody ever uses on a regular basis.
Nonetheless, Audrey's snub-filled statement lights a sudden fire within me. Seeing as how she seems to strongly believe that I have no intention of helping them set up camp at all, I will just have to go ahead and pitch up my own tent to show her how I am capable of handling myself without needing anybody's assistance. The last thing I want to hear from her mouth is how this experience wasn't a real and authentic camping trip because of how Crane ended up doing everything for me. And with that exact thought and excuse in mind, I swiftly get up from my seat and walk over to the pile of belongings to find my sleeping gear. But it isn't until I thoroughly dig through each piece of luggage that I realize the green bag containing my tent and sleeping bag is completely missing and that the last place I can properly recall seeing it was back in the car before we started hiking.
Shit.
Just when I thought that this day couldn't get any worse, I manage to make a dumb mistake and mess up the already-unpleasant situation even more.
Now what the hell am I supposed to do without a tent or sleeping bag?
"Is something the matter, Mr. Bennett? You seem a bit troubled over there," Crane asks out of nowhere. The concerned man stops in the middle of his dinner preparations to try and figure out why I look so flustered in the moment. But seeing as how nothing can get past the butler's omniscient eyes, I have no choice but to fess up on my blunder.
"Yeah. My tent isn't here," I admit with a heavy sigh.
Crane's eyes grow wide with despair. "Oh, dear. Did you forget to bring it with you?"
"Yeah, I must have forgotten it back in the car while we were divvying everything up."
"And you were the one telling me not to forget," Teagan swiftly chimes in with a haughty tone as she shakes her head in disappointment. "Shame on you, daddy. Shame on you."
Audrey instinctively snickers out loud in response to Teagan's blatant discontent toward me. The amused young nanny simply turns away from her tent-pitching progress to widely smirk at me. "I really want to say that I'm surprised by this unfortunate turn of events. But sadly, I am not," she snidely notes.
A scoff instantly rushes forth from my lips as I grit my teeth at the sight of the brunette's pleased expression. Not only has Audrey been egging me on the entire time with her subtle comments and side glances of disapproval, but she has also clearly been having no issues reminding me how much I don't belong in a place and environment like this. And in spite of my best efforts to prove to her that I, too, can give up the comfortable lifestyle that I am used to for a weekend out in nature, she's enjoying every single minute of my struggle. There's not a shred of sympathy in her brown gaze as she callously turns back around and leaves me alone to my own misfortune.
All I can say about the new nanny is that she's a ruthless one when she wants to be -- but I know just the thing to make her see and understand her place in this professional relationship that we are supposed to have with one another.
I'll make sure she remembers who it is exactly that is her boss.
"It's definitely too late to head back to the car and grab it, so would you like to take my tent instead, sir?" Crane offers without any hesitation. "I have no problem sleeping without one for a few nights. All I really need is just a s
pare pillow and a blanket which I am certain we have extras of somewhere stowed away in our belongings."
But I calmly shake my head and smirk at him. "It's fine, Crane. Don't worry about me," I say as my eyes shift toward the young woman with her back facing me. "I can just stay in Audrey's tent."
Audrey immediately whips back over in my direction as soon as she hears me shamelessly volunteer her tent up for sharing purposes. Her brown stare bulges out in absolute awe and surprise while she stutters in a panicked voice: "Wh-what? You want to stay in my tent?"
"Yeah." I smile and slowly watch the horrified expression spread across the brunette's entire face once she realizes that I'm not joking around. "Sharing a tent with each other would make the whole camping experience even more authentic, don't you think? And besides, I'm sure we can both comfortably fit in the same one since your tent looks big enough for the two of us," I continue after taking a quick peek over her shoulder to see the progress that she's been making on her tent.
Yup.
There's definitely more than enough room for two people in that camping tent of hers.
However, the nanny crosses her arms and weakly shrugs her shoulders at me. "I-I guess you could, but wouldn't it make more sense if you just shared a tent with Teagan or Crane instead? Wouldn't that be much more comfortable for you-"
"Nuh-uh. No way. I want to sleep alone in my tent. I don't even want to share with dad," Teagan staunchly says with a pout and an adamant shake of her head.
A hopeless gleam flickers and dims within Audrey's brown eyes once she realizes that she has no choice but to accept the strong resistance and response from the little girl in regards to her reasonable suggestion. But she doesn't give up so easily on finding an alternative solution to the sleeping arrangements, the young woman turning her desperate gaze toward Crane who also regrettably shakes his head at her.
"Sorry to break it to you, Audrey, but Crane snores like a truck. There's no way I will ever be able to fall asleep with him laying next to me," I explain while the butler timidly nods his head in agreement with my claim.
"It's embarrassing to admit it, but it's true, Miss Scott."
The brunette blankly shakes her head in denial of the circumstances in spite of the facts that have clearly been laid out completely bare in front of her. It's obvious from the extreme reluctance written all over her face that she is still hoping to be able to convince the other two to change their minds somehow.
"But, there must be some other way-"
"No, I really don't believe there is another way to solve this unfortunate issue we have on our hands right now,” I brusquely interrupt while my eyes level with Audrey’s tense brown stare. The fact that she’s finally looking at me with some degree of regard and consideration as a man puts a big, wide smile on my lips.
It feels good to see that defiant and fearless twinkle in her muddy-brown gaze finally wavering with a bit of apprehension.
“So, it sounds like it's pretty much settled, then. I'll be staying in your tent for the night, Audrey," I declare in a calm and levelheaded voice.
The nanny looks like she wants to open her mouth and protest the decision one more time, but she ultimately purses her lips together and helplessly sighs instead. A distraught look surfaces within her obstinate eyes as she gradually lowers her gaze from me. She wants to run and hide from my unrelenting stare, yet there’s only so much she can try to do before we inevitably end up in the same bed and space together tonight. And no matter how strong and tough of a front she puts on in front of me to pretend like she isn’t going to be fazed or bothered by my presence, I know she’s already constantly thinking about it in the back of her mind.
What's going to happen tonight?
Will anything even happen at all?
After all, we’re both only human -- humans with uncontrollable feelings and innate desires that tend to take a hold of us when the right atmosphere and setting calls for it. Anything can happen.
***
"Are you sure you won't prefer sleeping in my tent instead, sir? I truly have no issue sleeping outside without one if that is what's preventing you from accepting my offer,” Crane reiterates in a grave tone of voice which sounds louder than it usually does due to the peaceful silence surrounding us.
I slowly shake my head in response to his statement while my eyes remain fixated on the warm red and orange flicker before me. The tall flames from the campfire gently crackle and dance underneath the starlit sky, the fiery blaze piercing through the shroud of darkness and creating vague shadows in the night. Yet even though the light from the fire barely touches upon Crane's face, it’s still enough to see the hesitation written in his expression and in his stance. There's no doubt that he's unsettled by the thought of the current sleeping arrangements and still hoping for me to change my mind on the matter.
But I simply walk past the mesmerizing campfire and over to the butler where I give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Yeah, Crane. Don’t worry about me. It’ll be fine," I smile.
"Truthfully speaking, it's not you that I'm particularly worried about, sir," Crane retorts as he shoots me a long and hard look of condemnation.
A slow sigh parts from my lips after hearing the butler's candid response. Now I understand why he's been so adamant about changing up the sleeping situation. He's just worried about Audrey, not me. Worried that I will end up doing something terrible to her to ruin the peaceful atmosphere that's been present within the family since she was hired as Teagan's nanny -- but I have to admit that his concerns aren't fully unwarranted. Especially since both him and I know exactly the kind of questionable things that I am capable of doing when I'm caught in the heat of the moment.
Truth be told, there's really no telling what the hell will actually happen when it's just me and her alone in that cramped tent tonight. All I know for sure is that I definitely won't be letting her sleep so soundly without giving her something to seriously think and worry about. There's no way that irritable woman is getting a good night's sleep after the way she shamelessly basked in my misfortune and bad luck today.
My mind happens to be filled with subtle ways on how to mess with Audrey when Crane eventually breaks the long silence with a lengthy sigh. "Anyway, you must be extremely tired, Mr. Bennett. You should just go ahead and get some rest. Have a good night. I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, you're right. I do feel pretty exhausted after all that hiking," I note while covering the timely yawn that slips out of my mouth. My whole body seems to feel a lot heavier after hearing the butler make a comment about my physical exhaustion. "Night, Crane. Take it easy, okay?"
The man gives me a nod of acknowledgment as I turn away from the brightly-lit campfire and begin to walk toward the tent that is set up in the distance with the tall silhouette sitting inside of it. I carefully watch the unmoving shadow sit in a rigid and upright position as if it were tensely waiting for something or someone to appear. Someone like me. But an icy glare and bitter scowl immediately welcomes and greets me as soon as I step foot into the tent, the cold response from the young woman the only sort of recognition I get from her. I softly chuckle to myself and take a seat on top of the sleeping bag that has been conveniently placed in the furthest corner of the living space.
My gaze turns to the brunette who stubbornly refuses to make any eye contact at all with me despite being only a few inches away from me. Her brown stare awkwardly points down toward the ground where she appears to be in deep and heavy thought over something when in reality she is simply pretending to not be bothered by the fact that I have successfully managed to force her into this position without her agreement. Yet a slow smile spreads across my lips from the absurdity of her reaction. I can't help but laugh at the unusual way that she's trying to handle the situation instead of confronting the circumstances head on to clear the tension and air between us.
"You honestly can't be this upset with me when you were the one wh
o insisted on having this authentic camping experience," I state.
Audrey quietly scoffs and shakes her head at me. "I'm not upset."
"Okay, you're not upset. Then why are you so quiet?"
"Because, Mr. Bennett." The nanny crosses her arms over her chest and lifts her cold gaze toward me. "It's not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world to be sharing a small tent with another person who also happens to be my boss, wouldn't you agree?"
"Ah, is that all it is?" I grin while watching the brunette slowly become visibly heated by my presence. Seeing the clear sight of her fury and ire toward me makes me want to tease and torment her even more. "So, you're just being shy and coy about it, then?"
"My apologies, sir. Not everyone can be as sleazy enough as you are to be comfortable sleeping in a tight space like this with someone of the opposite sex," Audrey sneers while rolling her eyes.
"Something like that would only be a problem and an issue if you look at it that way," I plainly state as I pull my sleeping bag over to hers until our knees are practically touching one another. "Tell me, would you feel the same way right now if it were Crane sleeping in the tent with you instead of me?"
The young woman's brown eyes instantly bulge and expand from the unexpected question. "Th-that's completely different. Crane isn't anything like you-"
"So I'm the exception? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" I interject.
Audrey almost immediately opens her mouth to protest against my assumption, but something prevents her from fully doing so. There's a strong look of restraint in her eyes as she pulls her lips together and grits her teeth. A soft sigh falls from her lips. It seems that as much as she wants to vehemently deny my claim, she just can't do it. However, the pained expression in her hesitant stare already tells me everything that I need to know about what she's thinking or feeling. I've seen that sensual look on other women's faces enough times to know that she wants me even though she will never admit it out loud.
Billionaire Daddy's Contract: A Single Dad and Nanny Romance Page 11