I heard crying in the middle of the night, and it caused me to groan and roll over. I hired a nanny to keep that kid quiet so I could sleep, and here it was –

I ate my words when the morning sunlight started streaming through the sheer curtains of my bedroom.

“Fuck,” I murmured before I sat up in bed.

It felt like I’d only been asleep for a few minutes. My reward to myself for a job well done was three weeks of vacation, and I was supposed to be living it up! Sleeping in! Waking up next to beautiful women! But the smell of breakfast halted my wishing in my tracks, while the shrieking sound of Clara slowly began to die down.

“I’m a father,” I breathed to myself.

I didn’t know if I was ever going to get used to that title. Men like me didn’t have kids: men with money; tailored suits; expensive shoes; men with late work hours and workaholic attitudes. I was supposed to be out spending my money, not lying here in a bed wishing I could go back to sleep.

I should just go back to sleep!

But the bacon smelled so good, and something smelled like chocolate, and soon my stomach was growling before I heaved myself out of bed. My body yearned to get back into it, to sink back into the plush king-sized mattress with the pure silk sheets and the cool fan blowing directly onto my naked body. My bedroom was where I was most powerful, the most in control. Women succumbed to my tongue and bowed to my every whim within the walls of this room, and it buzzed with untold secrets of unbridled lust while-

“It’s alright, Clara,” I heard the nanny coo while she breezed past my doorway.

I sighed heavily before reaching for my robe. I threw it over my shoulders and made my way for the kitchen, and when I emerged from around the corner my eyes hungrily took in the spread along the kitchen island: steaming chocolate chip pancakes with extra crispy bacon, fresh maple syrup, and orange juice. Coffee began to permeate my nostrils as I went digging for a plate and a fork, and when I dug into the food and sat myself down at the breakfast nook that housed another glorious view of the city, she came striding back through into the kitchen –

• Moving as silently as a kitten.

I watched her fly through the room while her feet pattered lightly on the ground. I took in her mangled, tangled hair, thrown haphazardly up into a bun with strings of lightly-curled hair dangling against her neck. I took stock of her pajamas, raggedy pants with a tattered shirt and a robe that I’m pretty sure was giving off the stench of baby vomit.

“Would you like an advance?” I asked coolly.

She whipped her head over quickly before turning back to the counter.

“Why would I need something like that?” she asked.

“To get yourself some suitable clothes.”

I watched her back pull taut with the request as her arms slowly stilled. Her breathing was intentionally slow, and I wondered what I had said wrong. All women love to go shopping, it’s just a natural fact of life. Give any woman money, and she comes back with stuff.

“My clothes are just fine,” she answered lowly.

“Suit yourself.”

I dug into my plate and I couldn’t help but begin to moan. The food was absolutely delicious, and I sank back into the breakfast nook before bringing a piece of bacon up to chew. It’d been a long time since I’d had a breakfast like this. I mean, most people like me hire cooks, but I’m never around this place long enough in the mornings to need breakfast.

And if I am, there’s usually someone I can go out with and get breakfast.

It was rare for me to wake up with time to spare and not have a beautiful woman’s body to call my appetizer.

My eyes wandered back over to Madeline, lingering on her as she made her way around the room. She cleaned up the orange rinds littering the counter, but not before she rubbed them down on the marble surfaces of my kitchen counter.

“What’s that for?” I asked.

“To freshen up,” she said quickly.

I nodded slowly before I began studying her again; her robe was slipping down past her shoulder, revealing her bronzed skin beneath the tattered fabrics of her clothes. Her legs were short. In fact, her entire stature was short, compared to me. Her head only came up to my chest, and her eyes held a determined stare as she quickly began clearing the plates away from the kitchen island.

“You’re not gonna eat?” I asked before I grabbed my orange juice.

“Already did,” she replied.

She had thrown up a wall to me. I had offended her somehow.

I never offended women. Women loved me! They loved my laugh, they loved my jokes, and they loved my money...

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.

Only this time, she didn’t answer.

I slowly sipped my juice while I watched her clean. Clara must have been sleeping, and it gave me a chance to watch her. I couldn’t help but see her helplessly-swinging breasts when she turned around to wipe off the kitchen island. They swung heavily underneath her tattered shirt, and I could feel my groin pulsating with warmth. She was undeniably beautiful, even if her clothes left much to be desired visually.

“How’d you sleep last night?” I tried again. I genuinely wanted to know. This strange woman, with the sun in her eyes and its rays glistening on her skin, had been in my home for less than forty-eight hours, and in that time she had taken the burden of a foreign child off my chest, outfitted my home with what the child needed, and cooked a marvelous meal.

“When did you eat?” I prompted.

Without any answer, she placed her back to me, turning the sink on to wash the dishes that had held the contents of breakfast.

“Are you always this talkative?” I smirked

“Would you like any coffee?” she asked hastily before she threw a rag down into the sink.

“Sure, I’d love some,” I smiled.

“Pot’s over there,” she deadpanned before she headed towards the kitchen exit. I watched as she shuffled out of the room, with her shoulders slumped slightly and her feet sliding across the floor. She was agitated and looked like she felt out-of-place.

But mostly, I think she was overwhelmed.

“Thanks!” I called out after her, and I couldn’t help but watch her pert little ass sashay away from me as she huffed down the hallway.

She was cute when she was upset.