Chapter Four
Jessica
“Wait. You left here and interned for your dad’s company, and then, you swapped out that job to be the nanny to the kid of one of the richest men in the country?” Ashley pushed a long strand of her red hair behind her shoulder. The other girls of the sorority had long ago given her the nickname “Jessica Rabbit”, and with her wavy auburn locks and her bright green eyes, it wasn’t hard to see why. “Seriously, who does that?”
Jessica leaned back in her chair but still picked at the crust of the pizza on her plate. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Well, I know you didn’t want to work for your dad, but you’re always free to do secretary work for me at the modeling agency I’m temping for.”
Jessica sighed. “It’s not about that. It’s more that his daughter was really upset today, and I get the feeling she doesn’t have a lot of women in her life. I mean, it’s just him and his father, and they’re basically workaholics. It wasn’t because I hated being a courier for Dad or anything.”
“Still, it’s freaking Brent Sanderson. His whole family is worth billions with a capital B, and it’s not like the last movie he and your dad produced did poorly.”
“I didn’t get what a huge deal it was back then. Last March, Dad was so excited that he kept a huge Oscar speech in his pocket, in case he won, and his first line was thanking me… Now, though, I totally see how huge a deal their studio is getting to be. Come on!” She set her crust down. “Ashley, seriously, I won’t even see Brent Sanderson. I’ll just be there after school and weekends and next month, of course, once other schools besides colleges are out, I’ll be there too. It’s like I’m a maid or a cook. It’s not like I started dating him via Tinder!”
“True, but he is so hot. I mean, he was People’s hottest bachelor last year, and he’s always been in the top running of other magazines. E! news is always dishing on how delectable he is, and they’re not wrong.” She sipped on her wheat germ juice and grimaced.
Jessica smirked. “Wait, so you’re super absolutely sure this time that you don’t want a slice of my pizza? It’s just cheese.”
Ashley gazed longingly at the pizza box like a starving dog drooling over steak. “I can’t. My last audition notes from some stuff out in L.A. said I was too curvy.”
Jessica tried not to flinch. Ashley was determined to make it as an actress, which was hard enough for anyone. She was talented, and she was beautiful and – Damn it, the girl didn’t have an ounce of fat on her. At least not for normal people, but Ashley had been on an all liquid diet since her last audition a week ago. Jessica hoped she wouldn’t keep up that regime for long, but it was so hard for her roommate to keep having her self-esteem torn up.
“I can give you a small slice, crust cut off.”
Ashley shook her head and snapped out of her trance. “No, and we were talking about you so don’t think you can distract me. Look, I have to keep up with the industry for my job. You’d think with your dad’s production company you would, too.”
“He’s also an accountant, and frankly, if it doesn’t involve animals, I’m not interested.”
“To each her own,” Ashley said. She took another slog of her chunky, green drink and shuddered just a little. “Still, you could do worse than a hot boss like that!”
“Okay, seriously, he’s just my boss and, even if he weren’t, he’s my dad’s good friend and business partner. I don’t care how blue his eyes are or how he has that rugged chin with that dimple thing you could just… Never mind.”
Ashley grinned and pushed the drink away from her. Good riddance as far as Jessica was concerned. “See, you’re not immune to feelings or being frivolous, Jessica. Admit it, you’re like the rest of us.”
“Okay,” Jessica said, raking a hand through her hair. “He’s handsome. Of course he is. I mean, I have eyeballs, but I also have boundaries, and I’m there for Cara and because she’s going through a tough time right now. Nerd-girl solidarity, alright?”
Ashley got up from her chair and walked around the table to hug Jessica around the shoulders. “First, you’re still a great addition to Chi Omega Chi.”
“I think people took me on at ‘rush’ because they needed to keep their GPAs up to stay chartered.”
“Who cares? Those upperclassmen are pretty much gone by now. You’re awesome, you’re a great vice president, and darn it, people like you. Nerd-girl no more.”
“Because memorizing the Latin names of your favorite lemur species is a totally normal past time.”
“What’s a lemur?”
“It’s a prosimian, like a monkey but more primitive?” Off Ashley’s blank look, Jessica relented and gave the answer she always did. “Did you ever see that Ben Stiller movie Madagascar? Like that crazy king and all his friends.”
“Oh,” Ashley said, stepping back and wrinkling up her nose. “I always thought those were cats.”
Jessica smiled and forced herself to hold the expression. Ashley really did try in her own way, and she was as sweet as she was protective, but sometimes, it was obvious how little they actually had in common. Her roommate was the queen of all things fashion and had an encyclopedic knowledge of classic films. On the other hand, Jessica knew more about some animals than an average tour guide at the zoo and was hopeless at evenly applying eyeliner. But still, Ash was the best.
“Anyway, I know what Cara is going through – I lived it! – so even if Brent is hot, and, okay, I can admit that… Even if he’s objectively attractive, it’s all about being professional. Cara’s needs come first.”
“‘Brent’, huh? First names already. I see how that’s going to go.”
“He doesn’t want me to think of him the way I do his dad, or even use the same terms.” Jessica pushed her plate away and crossed her arms over her chest. “I met his father, too, and the man is a dick and a half. So glad he won’t be around much.”
Ashley nodded vigorously in agreement. “Yeah, I’ve read that, too. From what gossip I know, you’re lucky you came back at all.”
“I barely did, but now I have to sleep, so I can prep some games and things to take over to Cara’s tomorrow.”
“Sure, and you’re not gonna be thinking about that hunk of a gorgeous boss man at all. I buy that,” Ashley chirped.
Jessica hated just a little how well her roommate knew her.
***
“You left so soon the other day. We didn’t get to talk.” Brent leaned back on his bed, and his voice purred like that of a long, lanky panther. He wasn’t wearing anything that Jessica could tell. It was just the broad expanse of his chest before her as well as the dark, red silk sheets draped artfully over his thighs. “I wanted to rectify that.”
His low voice sent heat flaring through her core. Jessica blinked back confusion. “Brent… I don’t understand.”
Wait, wasn’t I just talking to Ashley? Wasn’t I sleeping?
He stood, and the sheet fell from his hips. She’d been wrong about the no underwear, but the tight, navy boxer-briefs he wore left very little to the imagination. They hugged his tight ass like the second skin they were. Now, the heat was swirling up from her core and through her belly. The sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs was throbbing.
Not now.
It didn’t freaking matter what her clit wanted, was trying to tell her. Somehow, she’d wandered into her boss’ bedroom, and he was there, before her, offering things she was only beginning to want. It was batshit insane; that’s what it was.
“I think I have to go back. I can’t… Brent, we can’t do this.”
The words coming out of her mouth were the right ones. They were the things she’d always said before, as a good girl, but somehow right now she didn’t mean them at all. The moonlight filtering through the window left a trail of silvery light to play over the lines and planes of Brent’s abs. Even for his age, somewhere in his mid-forties, he was in amazing shape. He had to have an eight-pack at least. Her mouth watered at the glistening washboard before her. Some deeply buried, more Ashley-like part of her brain, desperately wanted to lick them.
She shook her head and tried to get a hold of herself. It was pointless. However this had happened, she was here now, and Jessica couldn’t fight her desire, couldn’t battle the lust bubbling over inside of her. Despite logic, she stepped forward and into his embrace. Again, her nose was teased with that strong hint of cinnamon and cloves, and his skin was warm and flush against her palms. Leaning down, Brent placed a kiss on her lips, his tongue plunging into her mouth and twisting with her own. She mewled and pressed her body against his.
Already, she could feel the thickness of his cock springing up to eagerly press against her hips.
Brent broke the kiss and gasped. “So wonderfully ready and eager, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
She was crazy. Jessica must have officially snapped because she was going through with this – whatever this was – without a care in the world. Nope. Instead, she was leaning into all of this and embracing her lust with a certainty she never would have before. Icy blue eyes regarded hers, and she could have stayed locked in that gaze forever. Would have done anything to stay near him.
He ran his hand down the side of her hip and then squeezed her knee. Only then did Jessica realize she was wearing an ebony skirt that skimmed her knees. Where did the rest of the day even go? Brent pressed his fingers to her knees and then ran them over her thighs. His breath was deep and husky as he spoke. No, as he commanded her.
“Spread your knees for me, please.”
Like being caught in a spell, she couldn’t fight anything, couldn’t fight the siren call of the man before her. Yielding easily, she spread her legs and hissed at the way his fingers tickled over the curves of her thighs, the promise of his strong digits caressing her body. Then, Brent reached the soft folds of her vagina, and she licked her lips as she anticipated the sweetness of his caress. Jessica had never had a steady boyfriend. She’d been so shy in high school and, with her focus on doing well in pretty strenuous zoology and biology courses at college, she saw more of the library than anything else. This was all a first for her. Strong fingers stroked her labia, and she shuddered. Reaching up, she grabbed Brent’s shoulders tighter, even as she wrapped one leg around his hips in an effort to give him more leverage.
One, strong finger slipped into her core, stroking the deep recesses of her channel. Then, a second joined it. Jessica mewled – let out a little sound that surprised her, made her sound like a cat on the prowl – but at the same time, it also made her feel strong. Seductive. Like the woman she’d never been before. Brent continued with his ministrations, slipping in and out of her with speed and delicious friction that propelled the heat from her core and belly to the rest of her body in a forceful rush. Then, his thumb pressed tightly against her clit, and the heat raged over all of her nerves, erupting into an inferno of lust and need.
Jessica closed her eyes and let her head roll back on her shoulders. She was lost then, in a haze of sensation: the sharp scent of cinnamon and cloves, the pressure of his thick fingers filling her channel, and the flames licking and lapping over her skin. She could have stayed locked in this embrace forever, bobbing in a sea of heady sensations. But she couldn’t hold out from the orgasm forever. With a skillful flick of his wrist, he brushed his knuckles tightly against her clit. The pressure made her bundle of nerves explode into an intense wave of pleasure.
Jessica moaned so loudly that, at any other time, she would have been embarrassed. But not today. Today, she screamed and shouted Brent’s name, reveling in the inferno of fulfillment rushing over her. When she opened her eyes, however, Jessica found herself in her darkened bedroom, still nestled deeply under her comforter. Breathing hard, she pushed her hair back from her face.
Oh man.
She’d never had a dream that erotic before, let alone about her boss. Shit. Now she’d have to do the best she could to push those feelings away. To be professional. She was doing this for Cara, for a girl who had a hard enough life as it was. She couldn’t forget that, and she definitely couldn’t forget that Brent Sanderson would always be off-limits. After all, there was no way she could ever have a real-life affair with a man her father worked with. Hell, with a man who was pretty good friends with her dad.
No.
She’d just have to ignore the feelings welling up inside of her and shove them – no matter how hard it was – to the back of her mind. It was the best and only way to be, no matter how he made her feel.
And no matter what she wanted deep down in her soul.
***
Jessica reported to the estate early, and she was glad she did. Even though Cara’s school didn’t actually get out until 3:00 p.m. and, with the thick San Diego traffic, her charge wouldn’t be home until around almost 4:00, Cara was back by 2:30 anyway. Jessica had been in the middle of getting a tour of the mansion from Cecile when the stomp of feet rang out across the main hallway. Turning, Jessica spied Cara trying to rush up the stairs. Confused, she hurried to catch up with the young girl and ended up following her through the labyrinthine halls until sliding into Cara’s room.
“Hey,” Jessica said, placing a hand on Cara’s shoulder. The girl had flung herself on the bed and had a pillow over her head. “Does your dad know you’re home this early?”
Cara shook her head, causing the pillow to undulate over her face. A muffled “Yes” was Jessica’s only answer.
“Cara,” she said, stroking her shoulder. “Did something happen at school today?” At first, the pillow didn’t even move, no nod or shake of Cara’s head underneath came from it. Finally, very worried, Jessica reached for the pillow. “Honey, did someone hurt you? Did you get into a fight? I just need to make sure you’re okay, please?”
Cara held onto the pillow for a bit but finally relented, and Jessica almost fell backward with the sudden release. The girl sat up, and tears streamed down her cheeks from red, swollen eyes. A thick wad of chewing gum twisted the longer strands of her uneven bob on the right side until it was just a rat’s nest of hair and pink glop.
“I don’t want another haircut!”
Jessica forced herself to smile, even though she wished she could march down to that school herself and tell those little monsters to knock it all off. Or pop them in their snotty noses. Maybe the older Mr. Sanderson’s idea about just ruining their parents wasn’t completely wrong; obviously, they’d raised their girls to be total bullies. Of course, that wasn’t exactly the answer, but the girls needed to get their issues straightened out and stop being so mean. Not that it ever worked that way; Jessica knew that from experience.
“Honey, did you know that peanut butter can fix this?”
Cara’s eyes went wide with hope and disbelief, and she sniffed and wiped her puffy eyes with one hand. “Daddy said over the phone I’d have to probably get another haircut. My driver said so, too.”
Jessica filed away her awe (that the family was so rich they had a personal valet) for another time. Some things were just so surreal. Sitting down next to Cara, she gathered the girl in her arms. “Look, sometimes dads don’t know all the hair tricks. It’s not so bad. We get some peanut butter in there, and I know it sounds nuts, but it’ll get the gum to loosen up, and you’ll be able to get it all out. If you want, I’ll have Cecile bring some up, and we’ll do it at your bathroom sink. It’ll come out. Promise.”
“Hope so. It’s all so unfair. Bobby Farmer said he liked my haircut and then Missy, who’s the meanest girl in my grade, decided that shoving gum in my hair at lunch would be funny.” Cara sighed. “I’m not laughing, and I don’t even care if Bobby likes my hair!”
Jessica squeezed her shoulders. “It’s okay. Sometimes, girls like that can only feel better about themselves by dragging other people down.”
“She’s already captain of the field hockey and the lacrosse teams, and she’s every teacher’s favorite ‘cause her dad’s a senator, and they suck up to her. It’s just… She doesn’t have to do this to me.”
“I know, but for right now, she doesn’t know you have a secret hairstylist weapon. Let’s do this!”
Cara brightened for the first time that day and stood up. “Okay, but I’m not completely sure this is going to work.”
Jessica winked at her. “Well, we can always get some crackers and have a snack if I’m wrong.”
***
“And the two of us are sitting down at this twenty-seat table why?” Jessica asked, even as Cecile and a few other staff members placed trays on the table. They were sterling silver, and Jessica had to wonder what kind of pompous dinner rules Donald Sanderson had set out for his family. “I need to get back home, and I shouldn’t… I just work for your dad. I’m sure your grandpa wouldn’t want me eating dinner at the fancy dining table.”
Translation: I’m just the help.
Cara pulled out her own chair and placed a napkin on her lap. “First, Grandpa is in New York for the next few days for some business conference. I know you don’t like him, so you don’t have to worry about him showing up.” She ran her hand through her still damp hair. “Second, you made me feel a lot better. Today really sucked, and I just feel better when you’re around. Dad’s sometimes late for dinner ‘cause of all the traffic. Would you eat with me?”
Jessica bit her lip. She didn’t want to come off as unprofessional or taking advantage of any situation. She was sure that Cecile didn’t get to eat with the family on the fancy plates or Danny or anyone else for that matter. At the same time, Cara had clearly had two exceptionally shitty days, and if it made the girl feel better until Brent came home, then that had to be okay, didn’t it?
“Sure, but if your dad gets back and wants me to go… I know that the nannies probably don’t eat with you normally.”
“I haven’t had a nanny before. I usually just do after-school programs until Grandpa’s at least home. This is a new thing my teacher said I needed.”
“Oh,” Jessica said, not sure how to take that. There had to be more reputable agencies to go through. She shouldn’t worry about it, but part of her wondered if there was more truth to Donald Sanderson’s innuendo than either she or Brent wanted to admit. “Well, if I ever do anything that’s not allowed, let me know.”
Cara snorted. “You helped me get a cool haircut on your first day and saved it the second. I don’t think you could do something wrong!”
“You’d be surprised.” Then, Jessica pulled the silver dome off the platter. Wrinkling up her nose, she couldn’t help but also arch an eyebrow at Cara. “All this for a veggie supreme pizza?”
Cara shrugged. “Grandpa has all these rules. When he travels, Cecile still has to do them. Dad and I have said a lot that they can relax more, but it’s always on silver and super fancy. But Cecile does make the best pizza, way better than, like, Dominos. Do you want anything else?” Cara pulled the dome over the second platter to reveal a second pizza brimming with pepperoni. “Dad is totally into meat.”
“I think I’ll stick with the veggie.”
“Cool,” Cara said, taking a big bite of pepperoni for herself. “I mean it though. Thank you. You made it better. Mom always knew how to make things better, and Dad and Grandpa try, but it’s different.”
“Maybe you just need a change of scene. You know what we could do this weekend? We could go to the San Diego Zoo. It’s amazing, and I think you’d really love it.”
“I’ve been there, but not since I was about eight for a school trip. I’d love to go,” Cara said.
“Good,” Jessica said, then blushed. “I mean, unless I’m going too far and if your dad’s home, then you can go with him. I don’t want to overstep.”
“Overstep what?” Brent’s voice called out.
She turned in time to see Cara bound out of her chair and hug her dad. The way he spun her around and patted her head was endearing. It also was nice to see Cara smile genuinely after such a long day and more than a few tears over the bathroom sink.
“Dad!” Cara said. “Jessica wants to go to the zoo on Saturday. Can we?”
Brent stilled for a moment and then looked directly at her. “Actually, that sounds good. There’s a break for filming this weekend because of an award show our lead is attending. I’d love to see the zoo with you, sweetheart. And you’re welcome to come too, Jessica. Maybe get a taste of a full day with Cara before summer starts.”
“I understand if you’re busy, Brent. I don’t want to take up your time.”
Brent hugged his daughter one more time before sitting down across from Jessica and diving into a slice of pizza. “I think it’s a great idea. After a long week, who couldn’t use some lions, tigers, and bears.”
“Oh my,” Jessica drawled. “All right. I’ve never full-out nannied before. If I’m too casual or something or ask for too much, let me know.”
Cara snorted and continued eating. “You’re doing great. A zoo visit is a cool idea.”
“Great,” Brent said, his baritone voice enticing even when it wasn’t just a dream. “Then it’s a date.”
I wish.
***
“You don’t have to walk me out,” Jessica said.
After last night’s intense dream and all the confusing feelings swirling through her, the last thing she needed was to get too close to Brent unsupervised. It wasn’t like she was tempted to jump him. Not exactly. It was simply that she was too emotional and too many things were bouncing around in the corners of her mind. There had to be boundaries, and there were so many rules she had no experience with, and it was only her first official day. She had to figure this all out.
Keep the walls in place.
Brent shook his head. “First of all, this place is an ostentatious nightmare. My father built it in the early ‘80s when he struck it big with his telecom conglomerate. Until I was a teenager, even I got lost in certain wings of the house, trust me. I didn’t want you to walk out alone just to end up somehow in the wine cellar or laundry room by accident. That would be rude.”
“Yeah, but Cara’s had a rough day. She’s resting now, but you could be with her while Danny or Cecile help me out.”
“Maybe I wanted some extra time. You’ve been a Godsend this week. I’m still furious at the school for how much pressure they’re putting on Cara to socialize in their approved ways but, of course, none have been applied to those little monsters who keep harassing her. I shouldn’t have to donate enough money for a new wing at La Jolla to get them to take what these girls are doing seriously. I could, but the point is that all students should be treated with concern there, not just the politician’s daughter.”
“Definitely,” Jessica agreed. “It’s hard. When I was in fifth grade, this one girl decided that it would be funny to dump a trashcan’s worth of garbage on my head. I was called ‘Dumpster Girl’ the whole year. It’s just about trying to survive, get through the bullshit, and find your niche. At least, I think so.”
He stopped at the front door and rested his hand on the knob. “And what about you? What’s your niche? I cannot imagine that your father’s gofer is who you want to be.”
“I like my dad.”
“And Allen’s a great guy,” Brent said, reminding them both of how interconnected her family and his were. “Still, what is it you really want, Jessica? Do you and he share an interest in accounting? Moviemaking, too, perhaps?”
She shook her head. “That would be my roommate, Ashley. I’ve never had any interest in fame like that. She goes to L.A. about three times a month to audition. I know it must make her feel bad, all that rejection. I’m amazed how hard she always tries and still brushes herself off to try again right after.”
“How do you want to be famous?”
She blinked. “Huh?”
“You said you did not want to have ‘fame like that’. How do you want to be famous then?” His voice was a low, sultry baritone she could lose herself in, and the emotions he elicited in her – whether here or the dream version – went straight to her clit.
Dammit.
Taking a step back, trying to get some air and distance, Jessica answered, “Science. I want to be a great primatologist, someone who really changes the game.”
“Primatologist?”
“I like lemurs,” she confessed, blushing. Jessica was a total science nerd, and she knew it. It wasn’t exactly the kind of bait that had attracted men in the past. Not that she was looking. No, she was definitely not trying to date Brent, even with his gorgeous blue eyes regarding her or his wavy, blond hair catching the light just so. “If I ever got famous, I’d like it to be for the quality of the work I do. I tried so hard to get an internship at the San Diego Zoo, and it didn’t pan out. I basically worship that place, but I guess that wasn’t enough, you know? That’s how I ended up working for Dad, instead.”
Brent stepped closer to her. Jessica knew she shouldn’t let that happen, let that gap close between them. They needed to stay professional, but it was so nice to have someone who wanted to hear about her. Her dad was great, but always thought that finance was where everything was at; it was so much more practical than biology.
It was nice to be heard.
Especially by someone who made her heart flutter.
“Now I can see why you’d suggest that for Cara. I’ll see what we can set up for Saturday.” He was so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek, warm and enticing. His breath smelled of the Scotch he’d had a glass of at dinner, and it all seemed so sophisticated. So over her head.
“Thank you.”
Jessica would never know how it started, who initiated it. Maybe it was like being a lemming on the edge of a cliff, that instinct to jump off was just too much. Too demanding. All she knew was that she found her lips on his, his tongue probing her mouth and tasting her. For a few, long moments, it was like she was back in the dream, that heat rushing through her and the hint of cinnamon and cloves promising her more.
Then Cara yelled from upstairs, “Dad are you coming to tuck me in or what?”
Jessica jumped back like she’d been scalded and ran a hand over her mussed clothes. “I… I’ll be here tomorrow. I’m so sorry. I just… I shouldn’t have done that.”
Brent’s eyes still seemed half-lidded even as he snapped back into place and time. “No, it was me. I shouldn’t have. Jessica, I promise, this won’t happen again. Please don’t quit on Cara for my sake. It was just—”
“One of those crazy, random things that happens?”
“Yes.” He offered her a smile, meant to be reassuring, but all it did was highlight his sparkling white teeth and his strong chin, which made her want to lean in again.
Jessica shook her head – as if that could keep her grounded. Grabbing the knob as if it were a lifeline, she wrenched the door open and hurried out. Before she could make any terrible decisions. Well, any worse ones.