by SL Perrine
Mila leaned into her mother and hugged her around the waist. “Good night. That’s all I wanted. Sarah said she’d tuck me in.” Mila moved down the hall skipping. “Thanks for Jax, mama. I think he will do.”
Gianna thought about that. Her daughter was looking for a playmate. Someone to make sure she would never be lonely or bored. Maybe a few playmates her own age would be more proper. However, they needed a new nanny to see to her schedule. He would do.
Chapter 3
The house was quiet in the early morning. The night before Gianna had decided to keep any conversations she would have with her husband until then. At least she could be sure Mila would not be at the breakfast table. She would be spending her morning in her room with a tutor.
Gianna dressed in a navy suit. Her legs covered from the chill of the house air conditioning. Her heels echoed off the walls with every strike on the tiled floors. Gianna preferred hardwood. However, Giovanni liked everything around him to be orderly, bright, functional and sterile. She announced her arrival in the dining room with a small cough and watched as Matteo moved away from Giovanni’s chair. He seated himself at the other end of the table out of earshot from any conversation she may have with her husband.
Gianna selected her usual seat next to Giovanni who sat at the very head of the table. “Good morning, darling.”
“Good morning. How was your day yesterday? I didn’t get to see you before you retired.”
“Oh, it was fine. I actually hired a new nanny.”
“Oh?” He put his fork down and looked up at her. “At the park? I wasn’t aware nannies gave out resumes between swing sets.”
“Actually, he’d be considered a Manny.” She took the serving spoon off the platter to place two eggs on her own plate. When she noticed her husbands raised brow, she continued. “He was there and helped Mila with an incident.”
Giovanni shifted in his seat. “An incident? Is Mila okay, was she harmed?”
Gianna suddenly remembered Giovanni’s fear of someone kidnapping their daughter and holding her ransom because of something he had done. As good as he was at being a defense lawyer, he was confident something such as the previous night’s activities were going to happen.
“Yes, she’s fine. She’s upstairs with Miss. Benson.” Gianna took a bite of food. She had to remain calm. She would do what she always had to get what she wanted. Gianna would make it seem like his idea to have a male nanny. “The man in question saved your daughter from would-be abductors. When the dust settled, and the men properly disposed of, I offered him the job. I figured you would want someone more capable than a regular nanny. Especially if things of this nature are going to continue.”
Gianna ate her breakfast and waited for Giovanni to say something contrary to the fact. He shook his head and then stopped. “Why hadn’t you told me about this last night?” He yelled slamming his fist on the table. Gianna fought a flinch but was unsuccessful. She flinched a second time when he scraped the chair’s feet against the floor to get up. She knew what was coming. She had experienced it happen a million times. She pushed her chair back, and Giovanni grabbed her by both shoulders, raising her to her feet.
“Why am I just hearing about this now? Did you not think I would want to know that my daughter’s life was threatened?” His breath, hot on her face, kept her brain muddled.
“I…I tried.” Her resolve broke, but then she remembered the scene she witnessed when she went to his study to inform him about the abduction attempt. “I tried,” she finally pushed him back. She had never done that before, and he looked at her furiously.
“How dare you raise-.”
“I tried to tell you,” she held a hand up keeping him back. “It seemed like your meeting with Matteo should not be interrupted.” Giovanni’s eyes furrowed. “Of course, you understand we had to come home early. With there being an attempt to take our daughter. When I arrived, you were quite busy.”
Matteo pushed away from the chair and ran from the room. Gianna did not bother to look his way. She could sense the heat rising in his face as he fled. Just as she could see the anger grow in her husband as he silently moved behind his own chair and grasped the back. His knuckles turned white from the pressure with which he held onto it.
“What is your intention?”
“Intention? I have no intentions. I’m simply letting you know you need to put a better guard on our daughter. A Manny will be just the thing. He can protect her; I already witnessed that last night. As for the other thing…” She pressed her hand flat against her stomach and took a clarifying breath. “I won’t discuss it further. Your meetings should be behind locked doors from now on, lest our daughter come looking for you. She does love her Papa.”
Gianna took that time to leave the room in control. Her legs felt like they were going to fall out from underneath her and she wanted to be strong. She had lasted that long. She needed to show Giovanni he could not break her. So, when she got to the doorway, and he had not moved, she looked back over her shoulder and added, “I will conduct a few meetings of my own, I think. Behind locked doors, of course.” Then she walked out the door as calmly as possible.
When she got to the foyer, her legs were less like jelly, but still, she was weak-kneed. A knock at the front door made her jump, and she held a hand to her mouth to suppress noise. The housekeeper, Sarah came to let in their guest. When she saw Gianna, she gave a questioning glance, and Gianna nodded her approval.
What she saw behind the door made all her feeling come back. She was once again the lady of the house and what stood before her just wouldn’t do. Anthony Jackson entered her home with muddy sneakers, wrinkled clothes, and disheveled hair. His casual look had escaped her attention the night before in the heat of the moment. She quietly abased herself for even considering thinking of such a slovenly man while trying to pleasure herself.
She said nothing, but hooked her finger in the air, telling Anthony to follow along. Once they reached the dining room, Giovanni still had not seated himself.
“Excuse me, husband?”
He spun around on his heel and looked from his wife to the man who stood at her side and a few steps behind. “Is this him, then? You’ve given the most important position in the house to a wayward man?”
“He is perfectly adequate.” She said and at once experienced the strain in her head. With another flick of his wrist, he stopped it just as quickly as he had started it.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” He said walking over to Gianna until he was close enough to speak into her ear. “You may have an ace up your sleeve, but I still am the man of this house and Mila’s father. My word still carries all the weight. He fucks up just once, and it will be your ass on the line. Do you understand me? Darling?” He ended with a slow kiss on her cheek and walked away without a word to Anthony.
Gianna gestured for Anthony to sit down at the table and she took a steadying breath. He chose the seat across from Gianna’s empty place. Before she had a chance to speak to him, Mila entered the room.
“I thought I heard the door. You’re here, Jax. Mother, why didn’t you send for me?”
“I only just introduced him to your Papa. Give him a minute, I’m sure Mr. Jackson would like some breakfast.” Gianna began pacing the table behind her vacated chair. “Of course, you need nutritional guidance. You need to be in shape if you are going to run around after Mila all day, and not a round shape. Also, make no mistake, this is generally a twenty-four-hour job. You will have a room, an expense account, a car, and for goodness sake, get a decent wardrobe.”
“Mother!”
“What? We have standards. See to your Manny, Mila.”
She turned without letting the man speak. She had been too quick to look at him as something more than what he was. She could not take the risk that his words were not what she’d remembered from the night before either. Once more she chastised herself for allowing the image of him anywhere near her mind while she sought pleasure. What was she thinking?
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Chapter 4
Anthony stared at Gianna’s retreating figure in shock. He had not known what to expect when arriving, but this indeed wasn’t among the many interactions he anticipated. No pleasant conversation while getting to know him, no in-depth interview with her husband, not even the first question about his background or references. All in all, it was one of the coldest interactions with anyone he had experienced in his life.
This was not the same woman that offered him a job the night before. She was cold, abrasive, and callous. Her husband more so. Giovanni dismissed Anthony’s presence as something disgusting you step in and scrape off your shoe. His ruminations brought him to two immutable conclusions: Mrs. Moretti was a bitch and her husband a socialite snob. He was considering leaving when Mila addressed him.
“Jax? You ready to go shopping?” she asked while laying a hand on his arm.
Anthony turned; Mila was standing beside him with an innocent smile and big green eyes staring up at him. His heart melted, and he remembered why he accepted the job in the first place.
“Ready when you are, Mila. And my name is Anthony. Did you forget?”
“No,” Mila states dismissively. “I decided I like Jax better. It’s easier to say and sounds much cooler than Anthony.”
“But… Jax?”
“Short for Jackson.”
“Ah. That makes sense.”
“I’m glad you agree. Shopping?”
“Lead on, brave adventurer,” he replies with an altruistic flourish.
Mila takes his hand and practically drags him out of the dining room. They pass a woman dressed as a maid and her nose wrinkles with disdain at Anthony.
“By the green man’s leafy beard, even the help is snobby!” Anthony thinks to himself as they exit the manor.
Descending the stairs outside, Anthony finds a man waiting beside a limousine. He opens the door, and they climb in.
“A chauffeur? I thought your mother was going to provide me with a car, Mila?”
“That’s one of the things we have to shop for.”
“A car,” Anthony states, dumbfounded. “I don’t have the money to buy a car, let alone a new wardrobe.”
“It’s okay,” Mila replies before leaning forward to address the driver. “Take us into town, Nico.”
“Where would you like to go first?” Nico asks.
“The spa, please.”
“As you wish, Miss. Moretti,” the chauffeur replies as he puts the car in gear.
“How is it okay, Mila?” Anthony presses.
Mila raids the mini bar for soda and hands one to Anthony before replying. “Simple, my father has accounts everywhere. We’ll charge everything to father.”
“Thank you,” Anthony says as he takes the proffered beverage. He pops the top and takes a long drink before continuing. “So, your dad isn’t going to fly off the handle when we charge a vehicle to his account with the car dealership?”
Mila takes a drink of her own soda and replies, “Well, technically, we’re not going to buy a car, we’ll just lease it.”
“Lease it.” Anthony shakes his head with a grin. “You are entirely too precocious.”
“I hear that quite a bit.”
“I’m sure you do. Why are we going to the spa first?”
Mila’s nose wrinkles above a playful smile. “You’re dirty and kind of smell, Jax.”
Anthony throws his head back and laughs. “Tell me how you really feel, Mila!”
The young girl’s smile grows wider. “I’ll straighten you out.”
“I have no doubt.”
The two share a laugh and spend the rest of the ride getting to know each other. Anthony is amazed at the knowledge and vocabulary Mila commands. The way she holds a conversation is succinct and direct, and Anthony has no problem sharing the intimate details of the last several months of his life. Before he knows it, they have arrived at their destination.
Mila bounces out of the limousine demanding Anthony follow in her wake. She cuts a commanding figure as she quickly gets the staff on task. The spa becomes a hive of activity and Mila sits on one of the loungers like the queen bee. A bulging Adonis hustles Anthony off to bathe, and he has the last vision of Mila’s every whim attended to by several women; further testament to her family’s affluence.
Two hours later, Anthony is feeling better than he has in a long time. The bath was wonderful, the deep tissue massage more so. His stress evaporated minute by minute under the lovely, Swedish woman’s ministrations. He almost floated to the stylist’s chair to have his hair cut to Mila’s specifications. There was a minor disagreement between the two of them about how Anthony should wear it. Mila won.
Now, as he walked out of the spa in his new fitted suit, Anthony had to admit that Mila was right. The ladies of the salon were seeing him differently. Not that he had not experienced the adoration of the occasional chubby chaser in his lifetime, but this was different. Every woman in the spa watched him with open, appreciative stares smoldering with hues of lust; and Anthony could not help but revel in it. Never one for wearing suits, Anthony looked forward to the next day when the rest of the wardrobe would arrive from the tailor.
Their next stop was a high-end restaurant Anthony could not have afforded an appetizer in if he saved the paychecks from his previous job for a month. Mila ordered for them both while insisting he tries multiples of everything. They ate until stuffed and napped in the limousine during the ride to the car dealership. Mila allowed Anthony to make the vehicle selection although she insisted on a more extensive vehicle. He chose a charcoal gray SUV. At the young girl’s behest, Anthony had all the amenities, bells, and whistles added. A final excursion to purchase some everyday clothes for Anthony rounded out their day.
They returned home in the late afternoon and entered the house after Mila directed Nico to have Anthony’s new wardrobe brought in. The two pulled up short when Gianna met them in the hall. She gave Anthony a long, hard look before raising her hand in the air motioning with her finger for Anthony to turn in a circle. Feeling a little awkward, Anthony complied. He turned a complete circle and came to a stop. Gianna looked him over some more and drew in a breath.
“Adequate,” she intoned dismissively before turning and walking away.
Anthony waits until Gianna is out of earshot before he looks at Mila and asks, “Adequate?”
“Considering your appearance this morning, adequate is about the equivalent of amazing,” Mila replies.
“You’re in cahoots with your mother.”
“I assure you, sir, there has been no cahooting.”
Anthony laughs at Mila’s mischievous grin before asking, “So what now?”
“Would you like to see where you’ll be staying?”
“I would love to.”
“This way,” Mila states as she steps out ahead of him.
Anthony hurries to fall in step beside Mila as they pass through a great hall.
“My father has his soirée’s in this room,” Mila states as she gestures around without breaking stride.
“How often does that occur?”
“Twice a year. Usually in June and December. This past June it was so full you could barely walk through because of all the people crammed in here.”
“Your family all attends?”
“Our family and my father’s business associates. Occasionally some Senators and public figures.”
They pass out of the great hall and enter an expansive library that contains three alternate entrances. “I’m assuming this doesn’t need an explanation?” Mila asks with a nod at the large shelves packed with books that rise floor to ceiling.
“Yes, Jax know books, Jax can read squiggles on white sheet things inside.” He monotones.
Mila’s grin widens. “That’s a relief. I was afraid mother would pop a blood vessel if I told her we had to order the entire Dr. Seuss catalog or Curious George Learns the Alphabet for you.”
“Jax like Calvin and Hobbes!” he states, co
ntinuing his caveman act.
Mila raises an eyebrow. “Oh, so we will need to order picture books?”
“You don’t read comics or graphic novels?”
Mila sniffs. “I have a college senior reading level.”
“Book-worm debutante.” Anthony teases.
“Knuckledragger.” Mila immediately counters.
“Geek.”
“Mouthbreather.”
“Nerd.”
“Un-original insult caster.”
Heartfelt belly laughs escape Anthony’s mouth as his head rocks back, and he holds his hands up. “I concede!”
Mila giggles and points to a set of large, oak doors off to the right. “Through here.”
Anthony pushes the doors open, expecting them to be much more substantial. They swing wide softly and smoothly. They enter a smaller hall, and Anthony notices the décor abruptly changes. Where everything in the Manor that Anthony has seen thus far has been clean, white, and sterile, this wing of the home is warm and welcoming. Dark woods, plush carpets, tasteful art, and aesthetically arrayed furniture fill its expanse. Vast, open arched halls lead from the room to their left and right while a broad, stairwell with white banisters in the center of the hallway ascends to the second floor.
Mila gestures to the left. “This wing’s kitchen and dining room is that direction. You can have one of our chefs prepare anything you like at any hour as someone is always on duty. Or, if you prefer, you can cook for yourself in your quarters. To the right is mother’s study. Mine and mother’s suites are on the second floor.” She narrates as she leads them behind the stairwell.
Anthony follows behind marveling at the architecture. “Why is this wing of the Manor so different from the main house?” Anthony inquires.
“My mother and father have different tastes. She decorates in her tastes; he in his.”
“They have separate wings?”
Mila shrugs and looks at the floor, so Anthony does not press her further for answers. “So, where’s my room?”
Mila leads him behind the grand staircase to reveal another stairwell that descends. “Down there.”