Chapter Three
Kelly approached the Moretti building with reverence. She had skipped her morning class to attend this meeting, which had her on edge. Coupled with that, her mother had insisted she wore a suit which was two sizes too small for her. The last time she had worn this suit had been for her undergrad placement interview. Since then she had moved up at least three sizes, and the widening of her hips and the late development of what her mother jovially called her "coconuts" made everything more emphasized in the tiny suit. Her breasts were on display and no matter how much she adjusted the buttons, they would somehow come undone, revealing more cleavage than was recommended for any job interview. She had looked in the mirror at her butt and realised that it too was on display and arguably more noticeable in the tight fitting skirt. She had agreed to wear the suit just to get her mother off her back, but now, as she knocked on the door of Oscar’s private building, she was feeling a bit nervous. The hotel took up six large, tall buildings lining the beach side. In the middle was Oscar’s building and, as she had been told by her mother, the place where all interviews and hiring were done.
The door buzzed. Kelly pushed in and was surprised to see how beautifully decorated the inside of the building was. It was all white walls and marble floor, with plants scattered all around. In front of her was a receptionist’s desk, which boasted a beautiful blonde lady who looked as if she had just walked out of a magazine. Kelly tugged at her ill-fitting and outdated suit and approached the desk.
“Hi,” Kelly all but whispered.
“Did you say something?” the woman asked, looking at Kelly from head to toe. She was not immune to this look. Most people saw her thick black hair, brown eyes, dark skin and wide hips and immediately judged.
“I did,” Kelly replied, feeling a bit less uncomfortable. Even though this woman appeared to be beautiful, she was not the least bit beautiful where it mattered to Kelly. “I have an appointment with Oscar.”
“Oscar?” the lady asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do you mean Mr. Moretti?”
“I call him Oscar,” Kelly replied, giving a sly smile. It was not her nature to tease, but she had nothing to lose and it felt good to see the look of discomfort cross the receptionist’s face.
“And your name is?” the woman asked, looking at her computer screen.
“It’s Kelly Taylor,” Kelly replied.
“Oh, you’re Kelly. I believe you are a bit late.”
Kelly looked down at her watch and scoffed. She had only been late by five minutes.
“Better late than never,” Kelly replied.
“Let’s hope Mr. Moretti thinks the same. His office is on the top floor.”
“Thanks,” Kelly replied dryly, before walking away. The last thing she needed was a snob ruining her day. She took the elevator to the top floor. When she stepped out she was face to face with the sea. It appeared that the entire floor had outer walls of transparent glass. She stood there for a minute admiring the sea. She had been so caught up with school and work she had long since forgotten how blue and vast the sea was.
“Finally, you’re here,” she heard someone say from beside her. She looked over to see Oscar standing there. He was dressed in a gray suit that clung to him perfectly. She was once again surprised by the way she suddenly felt herself drawn to him.
“Oh, I got held up by the bus,” she replied.
“It’s fine. Follow me.”
Kelly turned and followed him through the hallways toward his office. She could tell he prided himself on being a dominating man, and something about that made her even more interested to find out more about him.
“In here,” he said, turning a doorknob and ushering her into his office. She waited for him to sit down, silently thanking her high school for teaching her the proper way to conduct an interview. To her dismay, he didn’t sit. Instead, he walked toward the edge of his desk and perched on the edge.
“Sit, Kelly,” he said.
She didn’t know when exactly she sat, but his commanding words were hard to ignore.
“I just want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to work for you,” she said, feeling a bit awkward as she sat there looking up at him.
“It’s fine,” Oscar replied. “Though I’m not sure you’ll be ready to accept the job I have in mind.”
“Oh, and what sort of job is that?” Kelly asked, while inwardly praying it was nothing gross or humiliating.
“I have recently been awarded full custody of my daughter,” he said, standing and pacing the area behind his desk. “The thing is, she’s so young, her mother doesn’t really show her any affection and I have not been able to find a young enough nanny to fit her specific needs.”
“You want me to be her nanny?” Kelly asked, a bit surprised to hear him say this. She had never taken care of children and she had no idea if she even could.
“Well, it’s more than just a nanny,” he said, pausing and looking her right in the eyes.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I want you to be our live in nanny,” he replied. “The position comes highly paid and you will be able to come and go as you please, just not in the times you will have to care for my daughter. You would receive enough benefits to be comfortable and remain so for a long period of time,”
“Live in nanny,” Kelly replied, a bit lost as all the information washed over her. “Where would I live?”
“In my home, of course,” Kelly’s head snapped up and she met his eyes. For a moment she thought she saw something flash across his face, but before she could read into it, it was gone.
“And I would be able to continue with school?” she asked.
“Yes, you will be given provision to attend school. I would, of course, take care of those expenses if you do decide you would like to work for me,” Oscar said.
“You’d pay my fees?” Kelly asked, a bit surprised.
“It’s customary,” Oscar replied. “I’ve paid all the fees for those I work closely with.”
Just then Kelly’s mind flashed back to his receptionist.
“You mean like your receptionist?” she asked.
Oscar gave her a quizzical look.
“Never mind,” Kelly said.
“So what do you think?” he asked.
“I think I need to think about it and discuss it with my parents,” Kelly said.
“I look forward to hearing from you,” Oscar said. “And please, next time, dress in something more comfortable.”
Kelly looked down at her skirt, which had made its way half way up her thigh. Embarrassment flooded her and she wished she could disappear. Instead of making her feel any more embarrassed, Oscar walked over to her and extended his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. Kelly lost her balance for a millisecond and staggered closer to him, bringing them face to face.
She looked up and once again she saw a flash of something crossing Oscar’s face.
“I hope you don’t find this offensive,” he whispered, observing her intently with his hand clasped around her waist, “but you are truly beautiful.”
Kelly stood there for a moment, relishing the feel of his hand on her skin. It was as if every place he touched had ignited with a slow, burning fire that spread through her whole body. Just then, there was a knock on the door and Kelly slightly pushed Oscar away from her. They hadn’t been doing anything, but she still flushed. She didn’t want anyone to walk in and get the wrong idea.
“Mr. Moretti, you have another meeting in ten minutes. I think it’s time we get going,” a man on the other side of the door said loudly.
“I’ll be there in a minute, Ashton,” he replied.
“Duty calls,” Oscar said, looking at her and smiling. It seemed so strange to see a smile on his face that she almost asked him what had made him smile. “I look forward to hearing from you by the end of the day. If you do accept, you should begin your first day tomorrow.”