Chapter 6

Lucas

I knew it as soon as I stepped into the kitchen and saw her for the first time without being wet and a little muddy. I should have known that it would be so much worse if she was stunning on her worst day. And I would have been right.

She’s the pinnacle of retro femininity, a kind of woman I never even let myself dream about because they’re such a rare breed. Understated and irresistible.

Don’t fuck the nanny. Do not fuck the nanny. She has a boyfriend. And the kids. And it would completely destabilize Astrid. Even though it has been almost two years without sex now. No!

I’m about to walk away from her, doing dishes barefoot while wearing those cute, yellow rubber gloves when I hesitate. I can’t leave it like this. I wonder if she felt my erection on those cute, round little ass cheeks. I think about sinking my fingers into them. Making her call out my name, as if to rebuke me for making her feel so good.

“Wait,” I say.

Maggie completely freezes. Her gloves drip soap into the sink. She doesn’t look up. “Yes?”

The dark window above the sink throws her reflection back at me. I can see the intensity of her gaze, and the intensity of mine. But we both have to ignore that.

Or am I completely crazy?

“I appreciate how you came in, just because I needed the help. I know it was short notice and kind of inconsiderate of me to ask, even. But desperation will make you do crazy things.”

“I get that,” she whispers, and her eyelashes droop.

She slowly twists from the sink and leans her ass against the counter. Her gloved hands settle behind her on the counter ledge, and the position only slightly accentuates her breasts in that light, floral sweater. She would look perfect in a pearl necklace right now, and I have the dumb yet sharp urge to buy her one. Just so she can have that expensive but perfect finishing touch.

“What’s up?” she wonders, eyes on me again.

“We still need to talk about some things. I haven’t got your background check in, but I did contact your references, and they all agreed that you are a superb and trustworthy woman.”

The first reference had told me, “She had such a gentle touch when she babysat my little girl. She was a neighbor, the job dated three years ago. And Maggie such a sweetheart. It’s a shame that she took ill the way she did. I’m glad that she’s better now, though, and back to pursuing childcare. That’s great.”

I called the second reference, too, who said, “You married?” When I replied that I was not, his response was a chuckle and the word, “Good. She’ll get a man in trouble, that one. That hair, boy. The eyes. The freckles! Jesus! The body!” My mouth soured, and I replied with a terse goodbye. My heart felt riled at his words, as if he was walking all over something that belonged to me.

“So, let’s pretend that you’ve already signed the contract. I want to go over a few of the stipulations that sent some other nannies running.”

She plucks away the yellow rubber gloves and drapes them over the faucet again, then trains her gaze on me. She’s not only beautiful. There’s something knowing in her eyes, almost cunning. She’s fucking smart.

“Then let’s sit,” she says, and I pull out a chair at the kitchen table for her. She settles and smiles up at me, until my fingers brush her shoulder blades when I pull them from the back of the chair. Then her smile crumbles, and her eyes muddy with darkness, still looking right at me. My cock rolls over softly, like it’s trying to wake up, and I take a step away from her and settle in my own seat.

I take a deep breath and organize my thoughts before I begin.

“I expect you to treat this house as if it’s your home, because it will be, but I also expect that it will be treated as if you were the true mother of my children.”

Her teeth sink into her juicy lower lip, and she examines me. “What do you mean?”

“The true mother of my children wouldn’t let strangers to my children into the house, because that would disorient them and give them the sense that the home isn’t totally secure. They knew to anticipate a nanny. This is fine. But I can’t have them waking up for a glass of water and finding some random guy sitting on the living room couch, watching television with you. Do you understand?”

“Oh.” Maggie shakes her head softly. “My life isn’t like that, sir. You don’t need to worry.”

“The schedule is a demanding one. You understand that as well, right? There are no days off. There isn’t much time to conduct a social life outside of these walls. It is almost unfair, what I ask of my nanny. But it’s what I need. Full-time commitment, even at night. Because that is what children are. They go around the clock.”

“Yes, sir.” Maggie nods firmly. “I completely agree, and there won’t be any problem.”

I frown, wondering why a young, beautiful woman—twenty-two, she said—would have no qualms with sacrificing her social life at the level of a stay-at-home mother of two. I haven’t even seen her take out a cell phone, now that I think about it.

“You don’t have any friends here?” I ask. “No one?”

Her eyelashes bat. I may have struck a nerve. Shit. “I moved from my hometown after…” She swallows. “Some things happened in my personal life. So I have no life right now. I might get one in the future, but at the moment, I’m just… being Maggie.” She sighs, the comment oddly weighted in her voice.

“Don’t your parents want to know how you are?”

“They passed away three years ago,” she says, the statement mild and quick, as if she’s saying, “And no ketchup on that.”

I tell her that I’m sorry and she nods, taking a deep breath. I want to ask about what her reference said—that she had been sick—but now isn’t the time. I already forced her to mention her recently deceased parents, who must have been in some tragic, freak accident to have died at the same time, with her still so young. “I don’t have a support network at all,” Maggie confides in me. “I need this job, and I am qualified for it, sir. I won’t let you down.”

I nod. That has to be enough for me for now. To be honest, her first day did go well.

There’s one more thing I want to say, even though it’s not in the contract. Even though I never made this request of any other nanny.

“I know you’ll be living here, Maggie, and because of that, you might be in various states of undress from time to time, and I accept that.”

Her cheeks go pink and her eyes dart away. Her throat pulses as she swallows. God, I want her. I want to fold her up in my arms and penetrate her fragile, perfect pussy. Shit. Fuck. Forget about all that. Say the thing. Set some boundaries before you ruin your life and your work relationship with this woman.

“But I would appreciate a certain level of discretion around me,” I say, because it’s the goddamn truth, and it’s what I need to say. “Just, please. Keep it modest. Do you understand my need?”

Maggie pulls in a breath, and it moves all through her. She pulls her back straighter, and her shoulders square. Her breasts thrust slightly outward.

“I think I do,” she says, examining me even more thoughtfully now. “And I can promise to keep it classy.”

I nod, thankful that she said yes to both conditions, because they would be deal-breakers for her. But Maggie seems great. I definitely want to keep her.

“Great. Thanks. We’ll sign the day after tomorrow, when the search comes back.”

“Sure thing.”

I turn, and a giggle rises at my back.

Glancing over my shoulder at Maggie, I find her eyes bright and jovial, her full lips curved up into a smile.

“What?”

“Nothing. It just… It sounds like you’re some kind of werewolf, and you’re telling me to be careful after dark.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got the chains if I feel beast mode coming on,” I joke, even though I might need them after all. She does make me feel like extra muscles are popping out of me, like I can’t control what my mouth might do.