I get him the damn coffee, note the smartass smirky-smile on his face when I deliver it, then sit in the nursery, hating the fact that I did it.

I’ve never been more humiliated in all my life, and that includes when my parents used to work for the Holland Estate. Who does this guy think he is? I know how people like him are. They just want to put you in your place by acting like they’re better than you. Using his employer position and my obvious need for money to make himself seem bigger. Make me look lower class than him.

This is EXACTLY why I didn’t want to take the nanny job in the first place.

I swore I’d never put myself in a position of servitude ever again. It’s why I went to college, why I studied finance. So I could become a banker, make a shit ton of cash, and never owe anyone anything ever again. Yet here I am again, being told what to do, and I couldn’t possibly be more confused about it.

On one hand, I don’t like taking orders. It’s a personal thing because of my upbringing.

But on the other, I have to admit there was something satisfying about bringing Kase that coffee after he asked for it and seeing the pleased look on his face. The unruly half of Alana Frasier makes me want to see that look more often, though. See the corners of his lips turn up in just the right way. What else could I do to see Mr. Hardwin smile like that again?

The way he looks at me with those dark eyes underneath heavy brows makes my heart kick up speed and my panties get wet. Which I hate. But I don’t have control over my body, so now I have this battle waging inside my head.

I decide I won’t think of Mr. Hardwin anymore, unless I’m talking to him. I spend the rest of the day focusing on baby Liam who sleeps for about an hour then starts crying all over again when he wakes up and sees it’s still me with him.

“Come on, work with me here,” I whisper to the baby so that Kase won’t hear me through the monitor.

Baby Liam manages to calm down, I guess when he sees that his father isn’t coming in anymore to hold him. I place toys in front of him, but the blue-eyed cherub only stares at them, then at me, like wondering if he’s supposed to play with them. He crawls over to my purse in a chair and grabs at it, then begins digging inside it. “No, Liam. That’s not for playing with.”

But Baby Liam believes otherwise. He finds my keys inside my purse and plucks them out, flipping them around in his hands, then pushes them immediately into his mouth. Ew. He looks so happy to be playing with something other than his real toys, and for once, and he’s not crying, so I let him keep the keys.

All day, I watch people walk down the hallways, popping in and out of Kase’s office. It’s clear that everyone admires him, and the women—young, old, hot or not, doesn’t matter—all throw themselves embarrassingly at his feet. I mean, yes, he’s especially good-looking, in charge, and powerful at the office, but do they really like when he talks to them the way he talked to me? And what’s even crazier? When he talks to these office women with their short skirts and flirty tops, I feel my chest contract. I feel my blood boil, as though the man were mine. What is that all about?

Jealousy? Over a man who irritates me?

Maybe I should quit before the day is over. Just quit while I’m ahead, before I get deeper into this Alice-like situation. Before I drink the wrong potion and find myself unhealthily obsessed over my new boss. A man I can’t stand.

This right here is enough to make me want to quit.

But I can’t quit.

If I do, I may as well get a job flipping burgers on the corner, or answering phones for a dental office, because jobs are scarce now and the truth is, I’m lucky. I should be grateful as hell for this nanny job. It pays enough to help me keep my apartment in the city and still have a savings after a few months. So, I have no choice—I have to swallow my pride by moving in with Kase and Baby Liam.

A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. And if that means slapping on a happy smile and dealing with someone’s superiority complex for a while—so be it. It’s all a means to an end anyway. So I eat the proverbial cookie, drink the proverbial tea, and fall down the proverbial rabbit hole like Alice after the Mad Hatter.

* * *

When I arrive at Kase’s mansion on the Upper East Side, I don’t know if I’m to feel envious, angry, or in utter awe. A beautiful brownstone with gilded door handles, the place makes me think it belongs to someone else instead of the cold, steely gray man I met at the ad agency yesterday. For some reason, I envisioned Kase living in something ultra-modern, but this place looks more like your typical old money.

Maybe that’s it—maybe this property was handed down to him.

So rather than dealing with a self-made millionaire, I’m dealing with a brat.

The good news is that now I won’t have to face him every morning. I can just report to whichever servant he’s appointed to watch over me, and I won’t have to deal with his condescending bullshit all the time. I may not know much about handling babies, but guess what? I’m a fast learner, and I’ll pick it up in no time without his help, thank you very much.

Ringing the doorbell, I focus on making it a great day and not fucking up. Today will be better than yesterday. At the very least, Baby Liam will get to play at home now and not have to sit at Daddy’s office all day long. Poor kid. The door unlocks, and I put on my fake smile—the one I’m going to use from now on—ready to meet another member of Kase’s staff.

But instead of another servant, who should open the door looking fine as fuck in jeans and a nice buttoned long-sleeved blue shirt? The man himself. My panties practically turn into a soaked sponge, and my stomach churns out butterflies, as he steps aside. “Miss Frasier. What a delightful surprise. I was almost sure the agency would’ve sent me another nanny today after your difficult first day yesterday.”

I step in and note the lush interior, feeling my heartbeat in my throat. I’m doing this again. I’m working for a snobby rich person again. “What do you mean? It was a great first day,” I say, determined not to let him get to me. “I loved meeting Liam and seeing where you work.”

Kase looks at me sideways. “Are you sure you’re the same nanny as yesterday? That one was frustrated as hell with me just for asking her to bring coffee.”

“Maybe it was the tone of voice used.” I smile, taking off my coat and hanging it on the foyer coat rack. “Maybe she just likes being treated with respect.”

Kase closes the door and walks in ahead of me. “I don’t think I asked for anything unreasonable. My secretaries get me coffee all the time and don’t bristle over it.”

Your secretaries all think you’re a god, I think to myself. “Why are you here?” I ask instead. “I thought you had work to do and I would be meeting a housekeeper or someone at your home today.”

“First of all, I don’t have housekeepers. A team comes once a week to clean, but I don’t hire full-time service, Miss Frasier. I come from humble background and don’t need it. Definitely don’t need anyone snooping down my back either. You’re the first person who’ll ever live here besides me.”

I’m floored.

In a home like this one? He doesn’t have full-time service? That’s unheard of. How did he earn this home? I know he’s a top dog at the ad agency, but this is an old Manhattan home, and you don’t get to live in a place like this by coming from humble beginnings.

I follow him into the living room, furnished with excessively expensive paintings, statuettes, furniture, and artifacts. You can tell his wife used to live here at some point, because there’s photos of her on the walls holding little Liam, and suddenly, my heart breaks all over again. I have to remember, when I’m thinking of him as an asshole, that this man is mourning the loss of his wife, the mother of his child.

And now, I’ll be the first woman to live here since her death.

“Second of all,” Kase says, picking up Liam from his swing, cuddling with him a moment before handing him over to me, “I’ll be working from home a few days.”

“A few days? Why?” It’s not that I’m panicking, but okay—I’m panicking. So much for not having Kase around all the time to look down on me.

“To watch you. Make sure you’re assimilating nicely. No offense to you, Miss Frasier. I would stay home a few days no matter who the agency sent for a nanny. I need to make sure you’re the right fit for Liam, seeing that I work full-time, and you’ll be the one to raise him. I’m sure you can understand that.”

Slowly, I nod. “Fair enough.” But still, I can’t help but feel that he doesn’t trust me. That he’s staying home just to make sure I don’t feed the baby kerosene or dip him in a flea bath instead of a nice warm lavender soak.

The second Baby Liam slides into my arms, he reaches his little chunky arms toward Kase asking for rescue. “Nuh-uh,” I walk away toward a window overlooking Central Park on the brink of blossoming with springtime colors. “Maybe it’s better if Daddy isn’t here to give you options.” I glance at Kase standing against the counter, arms folded over his chest.

“What does that mean?” he asks.

“All I mean is, it would be easier for Liam and I to get along if you weren’t here all the time watching over us. The very fact that you’re in the same room as me means he’s going to prefer you, of course.” Go, shoo, get the fuck back to your office, I want to tell him. He’s only making my job harder by insisting to stay.

“I can see that, so I’ll stay out of the room, but you’ll indulge me a few days. After all, Liam’s life is in a stranger’s hands, and I want to make sure I’ve made the right choice.” With that, he smirks and exits the living room, just as Liam starts to cry.

“Don’t listen to him, baby,” I whisper in his ear. “It’s like he wants me to fail, but you won’t let me, will you?” I pull the keys out of my purse and hand them to Liam who immediately stops crying and becomes engrossed in the shiny metal. Easy peasy. And soon, Kase won’t need to watch after me anymore.

* * *

Everything is going just fine, but that night, I apparently commit the mother of all sins and begin dipping the baby into the bath water before testing it with my elbow. Though the water wasn’t too hot—just barely lukewarm—Kase barks at me from the hallway where he’d been watching me in secret the whole time.

Honestly, I can’t work this way and come infuriatingly close to quitting.

“Stop!” he yells, comes into the bathroom and takes the naked baby from me. “How do you know this isn’t scalding hot if you don’t touch it, Alana?”

I scoff but keep my control. “I can tell, Mr. Hardwin,” I say, my voice shaking. “Hot water feels…well, just hot. There’s steam rising from it, and I don’t feel any warmth coming from the tub at all.”

“It could be misleading,” he says, kneeling in front of the tub and putting his hand in. He sees that the water isn’t going to give his son first-degree burns and finds another excuse to be mad at me. “You also didn’t put the mat down, so then what? He’s just going to slide all over the tub?”

Seriously?? Does he think I’m that stupid? “I was going to hold him the entire time, Mr. Hardwin. I would never leave a baby sitting in the tub all by himself, even if I’m only one foot away!”

We stare at each other for a moment, and I have to wonder—is this about my ineptitude? I know I’ve never cared for a baby, but like I said before, some things just come naturally. He’s blowing this out of proportion.

My heart races inside my chest, and for a second, I think Kase is going to lunge at me, kiss me with passion and fervor, but instead, he plops the baby in my lap and moves out of the bathroom.

I feel like we just avoided a car accident with my stomach in my throat and my head pounding like a drum. The bath goes exceptionally well, and I even get Liam to take his bottle without qualms before bedtime. “Sleep well, little guy,” I tell him, covering him with the blanket and stroking his cheek.

He might’ve been difficult yesterday, but today he’s already better.

I retire to my room and let out the biggest sigh ever.

What am I going to do? There’s clearly tension between me and Kase, but I can’t exactly ask him to stay away from me while I do my job, and I can’t ask him to stay away from his kid either, when the whole reason he needs a nanny is because he has to work. As stressful as this job is, I need it.

I need money.

There’s a knock on my door. I’m hesitant to open it, because a) I don’t want to deal with Kase Hardwin anymore today, and b) I’ve already changed into my sweatpants and tank top for the night. Cracking my door open, I peek out to find him standing there, leaning against the door frame. “Can I talk to you a moment?”

“Sure.” I push the door open slightly but don’t invite him inside, if that’s what he’s expecting. I cross my arms to cover the fact that I’m not wearing a bra and put on that professional Alana smile.

Kase’s eyes wander, aware that I’m braless. “I’m not sure what I’ve done to upset you, Miss Frasier. It’s clear there’s tension between us.”

I’m not sure how to respond to that. First of all, he’s even hotter than hell now that he’s in a T-shirt, not looking like the ad executive I saw yesterday but an athletic hot dad in gym shorts. I have to look away. Second of all, does he not realize the way he talks to me? Still, I can’t blame my boss so I err on the side of personal issues.

“Look, it’s nothing,” I sigh, rubbing my forehead. “I’m just stressed because I need this job.”

“Isn’t this one of the best nanny jobs around, though? Your agency assured me you would be thrilled to have it.”

“I am. It’s great. It’s just that…” I pause, wondering how much I should tell him. Maybe honesty would be the best policy here. He would see me as a human being and not a lower-level sex object he can order around. “I’m not even supposed to be nannying. I’m supposed to be working at Lodwick Brothers right now.”

His eyebrows fly up. “The bank?”

“Yes, the bank,” I say. “And once things calm down in the industry, I’ll be working at another bank, making what I was supposed to be making before everything went kaput. Without half the aggravation.”

“Aggravation?”

Is he really that clueless? “Yes, Mr. Hardwin. You’re micromanaging me. You’re watching every move I make, which is making me even more nervous. If you hired me, you should just trust me that I’m going to do a good job.”

“I’ll trust you when I can see that you’re handling things.”

“See, that’s what I mean. I want to be treated with respect instead of ridiculed.”

“I’m not ridiculing you, Miss Frasier. Telling you your tank top with the unicorn on it doesn’t befit the business woman you clearly are, now that would be ridiculing you.” He smiles.

And there goes my core again, melting under the heat of his gaze again. How does he compliment me and insult me in the same breath? I just sigh. “Okay, I suppose.”

“How long do you intend to work for me, because I had hoped to hire a nanny who would stick with Liam for the long run, and now you’ve told me you’ll be leaving the second you can. Doesn’t exactly leave me feeling confident about this situation. Just be honest.”

I did just say that, didn’t I?

That was stupid. He could let me go right now after that admittance.

“I’ll be working for you for a while,” I say, trying to save my ass. Think money, Alana. Think savings. “The industry won’t bounce back for a long time, so yeah, I’m here for the long haul. No worries.”

“No worries? It’s clear you don’t want to be here, clear you don’t think I’m respecting you. How can I keep you onboard when you’ll be out of there the first chance you get?”

Our gazes lock. His dark brown eyes and mine, searching, trying to figure this quandary out. Part of me wants to throw my hands up and just leave. I don’t need this shit. But then I remember that I do—I need this shit. I need it more than I’ve ever needed anything, except a good fuck by a man like Kase Hardwin.

Holy shit.

I wipe my forehead. “Please don’t fire me.”

It’s all I can say. I hear the idea in his mind, feel the words poised on his lips. I’m about to be let go.

“Why shouldn’t I?” he asks.

“Because I’m not a quitter. I need this. I’ll do anything you ask from now on, and I won’t complain about it. I’ll prove myself to you.”

My words clearly unlock some sort of deeply-rooted curiosity, because his eyebrow crooks upwards. “Anything I ask?”

I’m in trouble. So much fucking in trouble. I would do anything this man asks of me right now, even if it means stripping down naked and sucking his cock dry. I want him. My body knows it, as much as my brain doesn’t want to admit it. I want him so badly. I’ve never felt this way about any man before in my entire life. He goes against everything I’ve ever thought to be sexy, but that’s how little I know. How much I have to learn.

I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place, and that hard place is Kase Hardwin.

I just know, the minute he leaves me alone with my combusting self, that I’m going to take a long bath, that I’m going to use those arms and that mouth and that body as fuel for my fantasies all night, and that at some point, I’m going to come so hard just from thinking about his lips touching me. Oh, yeah. I’m going down with this sinking ship for sure.

“Anything you need,” I repeat. “And anything you want from me, too.”