Alexander stood up from his chair and headed toward the door to his office. Hannah watched him over her shoulder for a moment before realizing that she was supposed to follow him. She scrambled out of her seat and rushed to Alexander's side. Together, they strode through the bustling office of the nanny service. Hannah couldn't help but watch as the eyes of just about every girl there glued onto Alexander as they walked, their expressions a perfect blend of respect and pure flirtatiousness.
"So,” Hannah said, struggling to keep up with Alexander's long strides. "What's this job of yours that's so secret?"
"Ah,” Alexander said. "Can't believe I forgot to mention it. I'm in…security."
"Like, standing outside of a mall or something?"
Alexander chuckled as they walked.
"No," he said. "A little more skill-intensive than that."
And as Alexander walked, Hannah couldn't help but notice something about his movements. Everything thing about how he moved, from his walk, to his posture, to the way he always seemed to be aware of just about everything going on around him, made it clear to her that he definitely had some sort of physical training.
Guess those muscles just aren't for show. Her eyes were glued onto Alexander's bicep as she wondered just what he looked like under all that expensive fabric.
But then her eyes flicked forward and her face turned a deep red as she realized that he likely knew just where she'd been looking.
"A better word might be ‘private contractor;' I think that might be a term that you've heard here and there."
The image of gruff men with beards, wraparound shades and sleeveless shirts, all standing around somewhere in the middle east as they brandished machine guns came to mind.
"Oh, wow,” Hannah said.
"Though I have plenty of other side business, mostly investments. And I should also point out that nearly all of my operations happen outside of the city; you won't need to worry about me bringing back any…homework."
"Good to know,” Hannah said as they arrived at a flight of stairs that led up.
Alexander pulled open the door, revealing the cloudless blue sky ahead.
"After you," he said gesturing up the stairs.
Hannah went up, and her mouth hung open slacked as the view from on top of the building revealed itself to her. From her vantage point the city of San Francisco was all around her. She could see the entire city, the bay wrapping around them. Off into the distance she could even lay eyes on the land across from the Golden Gate Bridge, which was still shrouded in a thin mist.
And in front of her, blades whopping, was a sleek, black helicopter. Alexander led her toward it, and when they arrived he handed her a pair of earmuffs. Her heart pounding, she stepped into the helicopter with Alexander, the door sliding shut behind her. Moments later, they were off, and seconds later they were hundreds of feet above the city. Hannah couldn't help but bring her face so close to the glass that she just about touched it. She couldn't believe that within less than a day of arriving in San Francisco, she was already flying above it in a helicopter.
Soon, they touched down on a skyscraper not too far off from where they'd taken off. She hopped out of the helicopter, still in a daze from the incredible sight she'd just seen. Seeming to sense her disorientation, Alexander tapped her on the shoulder and led her across the roof toward a stainless-steel elevator. Alexander pressed a button, and soon they were inside.
"You okay?" he asked, a sly smile on his face.
"That wasn't exactly something I was expecting to be part of the interview," Hannah said, catching her breath.
"The interview's over,” Alexander said as the elevator descended. "Now's the part where you see where you're going to be staying."
The doors opened, revealing an incredible penthouse apartment. The place was decorated in the same sort of modern style as the office, and as Hannah looked around, she couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't a coincidence. The view from the apartment was nearly as dramatic as being on the roof, and she quickly strode across the long span of the apartment to look out of the window at the city and the glittering bay beyond.
"This is…quite a place," she said, her eyes fixed on the view.
"Let me show you to your room,” Alexander said, gesturing down a hallway for her to follow him.
Hannah rushed to his side, and soon they stood at the entrance to a small, cozy room with a comfy-looking bed.
"We can get your things later today, but this is where you'll be staying."
"It's amazing,” Hannah said, noting that there was even a little balcony big enough for a small table.
Alexander led her back the main room.
"As I said, this will be a probationary period," he said taking a seat at the large dining room table. "And that's not just for me to evaluate you; I want this job to be a good fit, and if you think it's not going to work after a week or so, then you're free to leave, of course."
Hannah's eyes fell onto Alexander as he sat on the dining room table chair. Something about the way Alexander sat struck her as…strange. Not ‘strange' as in ‘weird,' but strange as in almost-
Inhuman. It was like something inside of him struggled to get out. He was ready to burst at any moment.
And Hannah was still quite fixated on just how inhumanly attractive he was. In the sunny apartment, his ice-blue eyes seemed even more striking.
"So," she asked, looking for a place to sit down, "when do I meet your daughter?"
"She'll be back in a few hours; she's at school now. Until then, go ahead and relax. And write down the address where your things are; I can arrange to have them brought here."
Hannah jotted down Darlene's address on a piece of notepad paper and handed it to Alexander along with the keys.
"Let me know if you need anything else.”
"I will."
With that, Hannah headed to her new bedroom and plopped down onto the bed, surprised at just how soft and comfortable it was.
What the hell have I gotten myself into? A day ago, I was driving into the city in a car that's on the brink of collapsing into a broken-down heap at any moment, and now I'm living in a damn mansion in the sky.
And the idea of meeting Alexander's daughter filled her stomach with anxiety. It occurred to her that her success at this job was entirely dependent on whether or not this kid liked her. But she was also excited knowing that she'd never be a mother. Being able to spend time with other people's children was as close as she'd get to the life she wanted.
After a little resting, Hannah left her bedroom. On her way back to the living room, she saw that Alexander was coming down the hall at his usual brisk, self-assured pace.
"There you are," he said. "I wanted to see if you were hungry; I could go for some lunch if you're up to it."
Hannah thought over the request. Part of her wanted to hide out in her room and let this strange new situation wash over her. But the better part of her realized that this would be a good opportunity to get to know this new man that she was working for.
"Yeah," she said. "That sounds great."
"Perfect. Let me change out of this suit and I'll be ready to go."
He disappeared down another hallway on the opposite side of the living room, leaving Hannah alone. She quickly hurried back to her bedroom and gave herself a once over in the mirror. Hannah looked at her big rear, the soft fold of flab hanging off of her sides, and just how large her breasts had become. She'd always been a heavier girl, but the last year had put so much stress on her that she'd ended up coping in the only way she knew how: by eating.
I must've put on forty pounds over the last year. If not more.
She grabbed her stomach with both hands, holding her curves. She knew that it was important to feel proud of how she looked, no matter what, but she couldn't help but feel a little off especially when compared to a man like Alexander.
She took the opportunity to look around, trying to get used to her new surroundings. She noted that the place was decorated in a stark, modern style that was almost uncomfortable in a way, the kind of way that she'd noticed men always seemed to decorate places when left to their own devices.
This place needed a woman's touch. She smirked as she regarded the modern art on the walls and the black and white that dominate the décor.
She placing her hand on the handle to the sweeping balcony attached to the apartment. This view. She opened the door, fresh, warm air rushing in and surrounding her. Hannah stepped out onto the balcony and took in the incredible view of the city. She was still having a hard time believing that this was now where she lived.
"Something else, isn't it?" asked Alexander.
Hannah looked at Alexander, seeing that he was now dressed in a casual, but stylish, pair of gray slacks, a light blue button up with the buttons undone enough to hint at what were assuredly sculpted pecs, and a pair of slick black loafers. She couldn't help but feel totally aroused just looking at the man.
"It's amazing," she said, trying to decide whether to focus on the incredible view in front of her or the gorgeous specimen behind her.
Luckily for her, Alexander made the choice for her by stepping to her side. Hannah's heart fluttered as he stood within her personal bubble.
Calm it down, Hannah. Try and go at least a day before developing a crush on the boss. But she couldn't help her heart pounding as Alexander stood next to her.
"It's a little ostentatious, but it works," he said, looking out over the city.
Then he turned to Hannah. She felt her eyes go wide as he looked at her, and she realized that this is the closest she'd been to him other than being in the helicopter. In the clear light of day, she noticed that his eyes weren't just blue—they were very, very blue. It was as though within his eyes was the essence of winter, frosty and cool. And there was something about those eyes, something that struck her as…inhuman. They were too perfect.
"Shall we?" he asked, pushed himself off of the railing.
"Um, okay!" she said, the word coming out louder than she'd wanted.
Alexander walked with his usual long strides toward the front door where he waited for Hannah. She hurried to his side and together the two of them stepped into the elevator. Moments later, they were in the sleek lobby of the apartment building. Various staff said their hellos to Alexander as the pair walked through, and, just as in the office, Hannah watched as just about every girl within viewing distance practically tripped over herself to get Alexander's attention.
"Thai sound okay?" he asked.
"That sounds great," she said.
Truthfully, Hannah was in an "eating her feelings" kind of mood due to the high level of anxiety she'd been under since the day started, but she wasn't about to suggest the cheeseburger that she was craving. The two of them strolled down the street and arrived at a cute little restaurant. The owner seemed to know Alexander, and directed the two of them to a table near the window.
"So,” Alexander said once they'd ordered their food, "tell me about yourself."
Hannah's eyes went wide; she wasn't the biggest fan of talking about herself, and wasn't even sure how to bring up the subject without going into way too much detail about what she'd been through over the last year. The waiter came by quickly with a pair of spring rolls, one of which Hannah eagerly grabbed and dunked into her peanut sauce, as though wanting to put off the topic for as long as possible.
"Um," she said, "I used to live in New York, and now I'm here for a, um, fresh start, I guess."
"You just up and left?" asked Alex. "Left everything behind?"
"Well, I was married,” Hannah said, sharing the information as if it were an embarrassing personal detail.
"That's a minor detail,” Alexander said.
Hannah gobbled up her spring roll, feeling a little silly about just how much her anxiety was causing her to want to eat.
"Have the other one,” Alexander said, pushing the plate toward Hannah.
"No," she said. "That one's all yours."
"Nah," he said. "I'm more of a meat eater."
Hannah looked at the roll for a moment, as though wondering if this were some kind of trick before finally taking it.
"And now you're in San Francisco.”
"Yep,” Hannah said. "I have family here, though she's around right now."
"And you have any plans for the future?"
"I mean, I did," she started.
Her plans involved being a wife and mother, but that was tossed out the window. There was no way to tell him that without going into all the…messy stuff.
"And then?" asked Alexander.
"And then…I changed my mind."
Alexander nodded slowly. He struck Hannah as a totally professional, socially-well-attuned kind of guy, and he seemed to pick up on the fact right away that he was getting very close to sensitive material. The waiter arrived with their food before Hannah had to think of something else to say. In front of Hannah the waiter placed a plate of pad Thai, and in front of Alexander, he placed some kind of Thai steak topped with fresh vegetables. Hannah watched as he brushed the vegetables off and jabbed one of the bloodier pieces of meat with his fork.
"You're really into the meat,” Hannah said.
"That's right," he said, a sly smile forming on his lovely lips. "I'm very much a carnivore."
"So, uh,” Hannah said, her heart suddenly beating hard again. "What about you? You're not married?"
"Was," he said, cutting into another almost-raw piece of meat. "My wife…well, let's just say it's complicated."
"It always is,” Hannah said.
"Oh?" asked Alexander.
"Yeah," she said. "I mean, my marriage ended before it even really began. One minute I was a happy wife, the next I had to figure out where I could go when I left the city."
"I know the feeling,” Alexander said, looking away.
"What do you mean?" asked Hannah.
Alexander quickly shifted from thoughtful to his normal composed self, as if snapping out of a trance.
"Nothing," he said. "How's your food?"
"It's amazing,” Hannah said, digging her fork into her noodles and preparing for another bite.
Silence hung over the table, and Hannah found herself wondering just what Alexander had meant by his comment. Was it just a bad divorce? Or something more?
Alexander turned the conversation back to lighter subjects, and the two of them finished their meals. When the check arrived, Hannah barely saw that flash of the black book before Alexander put a car inside of it and handed it right back to the waiter. It made her feel a little uncomfortable to have a man paying for her like this, especially since during her brief marriage they'd always just split things. But it felt nice; Alexander handled it with the same effortless cool that he applied to everything. Once he signed the check, the two of them were back out on the sidewalk and headed back to the apartment.
"Well,” Alexander said, "I think the trail run went pretty well."
"The what?" asked Hannah.
"There's another part of the job, besides being a nanny.”
"Oh?"
"Part of my own work involves no small amount of networking, and sometimes I find myself so busy with the…more active parts of my job that I don't really make the time to line up dates."
Hannah's stomach tingled with anxiety as she realized just what he was likely to say next.
"So," he continued, "I'm going to need you to accompany me to certain events here and there. The first of which is this Saturday."
Hannah gulped. Hard.
"And what do I have to do there?"
Alexander flashed her a sly smirk that was strangely reassuring, as if telling her with a mere glance that it was nothing to be too worried about.
"You're doing it right now," he said. "Just look beautiful. What's your wardrobe like?"
Hannah felt so overwhelmed by the compliment that she felt as though she might need to sit down. Alexander was the sort of gorgeous older man that she figured she'd never draw the attention of, and here he was telling her that she was beautiful.
"There's no wardrobe to speak of," she said. "Pretty much everything I have is casual."
"Not many nights out with your ex-husband?" he asked.
"We never made it past the ‘broke college students trying to get by' phase in our relationship."
"Then we'll have to do something about that, won't we?"
He flashed her another grin.
"But don't worry too much about it; for now, I just want you to meet Grace. She should be getting back at around the same time as us."
Hannah spent the rest of the walk back tying herself up into knots about everything she had to look forward to. And once they arrived back at the apartment, Hannah barely had time to compose herself before the elevator doors opened up once again, revealing a little girl with dark hair and the same ice-blue eyes as Alexander. It didn't take a genius to realize that this was Grace.
When Grace laid eyes on Hannah, she went stone-still, as if not sure to act around this strange woman in her home.
Hannah knew that she didn't have time to waste getting to know the girl, and though she felt nervous, she knew that being anxious around a kid was the fastest way to get them to feel nervous right along with you.
"Gracie, come in here and meet your new nanny,” Alexander said, leading Grace by the hand up to Hannah.
Grace didn't say a word as Alexander led her up to Hannah, and Hannah realized right away that Grace was the shy type.
"Hey, Grace!" Hannah said, placing her hands on her knees and squatting down to Gracie's eye level. "I'm Hannah Ashford. But you can just call me Ms. Hannah. I'm so excited to meet you!"
Hannah felt Alexander watch her out of the corner of her eye, and she couldn't tell exactly, but she thought she spotted the hint of an approving smile on his face.
"Hi,” Grace said, her voice soft.
As Hannah looked at the girl, she was taken aback by just how much she resembled her father—the same hair, the same ice-blue eyes, the same otherworldly good looks. Hannah could tell that Grace was the kind of girl who'd grow up to be a stunning young woman. But for now, she was just a little girl hanging off of her father for support.
Hannah's eyes flicked down to the art supplies in Grace's hands.
"What do you have there?" she asked, her voice sing-song.
"Art stuff," was the reply.
"You like to make art? So do I!” Hannah said.
Truth be told, Hannah didn't have an artistic bone in her body. But she figured that if this was something she could bond with Grace over, it'd be worth a little white lie.
"I like to draw animals,” Grace said, unrolling a picture that she held in her hands, which ended up being of a pair of horses.
"Those are lovely horses,” Hannah said. "Do you want to draw some more with me?"
"Okay,” Grace said, her voice still small, but a bit more enthusiastic.
"Gracie, why don't you go change out of your school uniform and then you and Ms. Hannah can draw outside on the balcony?"
"Okay,” Grace said again.
Then she hurried off down the same hallway where Alexander's bedroom was and disappeared around the corner.
"Nice work,” Alexander said. "You've got a knack for this."
"I love kids,” Hannah said. "That's what I was most looking forward to about being married. But—”
Then she stopped herself, realizing that she was about to go into detail about her personal life.
"Never mind," she said.
Alexander seemed to pick up on the fact that Hannah was keeping things close to the chest and didn't pry for her to finish.
"Well,” Alexander said. "I'll let you two get to know one another. I've actually got some business to attend to tonight, so I'll be out. I'll leave a credit card for you to hang onto; go ahead and order whatever you two want for dinner. But make sure Grace eats some real food before getting into the ice cream."
Hannah chuckled.
"Okay, will do."
Just then, Grace rushed past them, art supplies in hand as she went out to the balcony.
"Then I'll let you get to it,” Alexander said.
Hannah flashed him a smile before starting out to the balcony. And as she watched Grace set up her supplies on the glass table, she couldn't help but feel a longing in her heart for the children she knew she'd never have.