Julie was still sleeping when I woke up, and I didn’t have the heart to interrupt her rest. It had only been a few hours since I’d woken her up and taken her again. It was insane how I couldn’t seem to slake my lust for her. Just staring at her vulnerable beauty, her hair fanned out across my pillow, my cock hardened once again for her. If she knew just how exposed she was in the daylight, she’d probably hide under the covers, so I had my fill looking at her. After last night, I’d memorized her body by touch, and this morning, I drank her in.

Genuine. Untouched. Perfect.

The thoughts didn’t sit well with me, so I eased from the bed. I needed to put some space between us. Throwing on a pair of boxers, I padded across the carpet to the tablet on the wall and checked my messages. The house was quiet.

Quietly slipping out of the room, I checked on the guest room downstairs. It was empty, but I could hear the soft sound of a child’s laughter drifting from the kitchen. Following it, I saw Daniel and Sarah standing around the stove while Tyler sat on the countertop. I already knew what they were doing. It was what Daniel used to do with me every Sunday morning.

Fry donuts.

“I guess a healthy breakfast is out of the question,” I said wryly as I headed to the counter to pour myself a cup of coffee.

“Good morning, Mr. Porter,” Tyler said cheerfully. “Do you like donuts?”

Daniel snorted, and I ignored him. “I used to, but it’s been a while. Call me Graham. I’m not old enough to be Mr. Porter yet. Did you sleep well?”

“I did. Have you seen my momma?”

Sarah turned around and glared at me. It wasn’t like the older woman to disapprove of my sexual partners, but I knew that Tyler was worming his way into their hearts. It would only be a matter of time before the child had every member of my staff wrapped around his finger.

“I think she’s still sleeping,” I said carefully. “Do you want me to get her for you?”

“No. She needs her sleep,” he said in all seriousness. “I think the sign keeps her up too.”

That blasted motel sign. I needed to get them out of that room as quickly as possible. “It must be. Have you been up long?”

Tyler shook his head. “No. I told Mr. Daniel that we couldn’t eat a big breakfast. It’s Sunday, and Momma takes me on a picnic on Sundays.”

“A picnic, huh? Where do you guys picnic?”

“Last week we went to Burger King.”

Burger King? Confused, I stared at him. “You went for a picnic at Burger King?”

Enthusiastically, the kid nodded. “Uh-huh. We’d go through the drive-thru and then park somewhere nice and eat.”

Julie was one hell of a mother. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Tyler asked her for a picnic one day, not having a clue what it meant, and she did the best that she could under the circumstances. “You know, I used to have picnics too, but we did things a bit differently.”

“Really? What did you do?”

“We used to pack a lunch in a basket and go eat out in the gardens. We’d play card games or fly kites. Sometimes we’d play tag.” I was talking out of my ass. I knew what other families did during picnics, but no Porter would be caught dead eating outside unless it was on some fancy patio where the glass of champagne cost more than the meal.

Tyler’s eyes rounded at the thought. “Really? That sounds like fun. Momma, can we try that?”

Turning slowly, I saw Julie frozen in the doorway. She was dressed in the outfit she’d worn yesterday, and I could see the anger in her eyes. She obviously didn’t like me putting ideas in Tyler’s head. “I’d be more than happy to take you two on a picnic for lunch,” I said softly. I had a million things that I needed to do, but if I could make that kid and his mother smile, I was going to do that first.

She didn’t look like she wanted to smile, but she forced one anyway as she stared at Tyler. “Let’s see if you have room for lunch first,” she said tightly. “Those donuts sure do smell good. Let’s go straighten up your room first, okay?”

“That’s not necessary,” Daniel and I said together, but Tyler hopped off the counter.

“Yes,” Julie said firmly. “It is necessary. Tyler needs to learn how to be a proper guest.”

As she left, Daniel and Sarah both glowered at me. Despite the fact that Daniel raised me, he was my servant, and I knew that he wouldn’t say anything to me, but Sarah was another story entirely. The older woman, with her robust figure and greying hair, was one of the most outspoken people I knew.

“You have no business with that woman,” she snapped. “She is your employee and a struggling single mother to boot. You are just waiting to break her heart.”

“Sarah,” Daniel growled. “How many times do I have to tell you to keep your opinions to yourself?”

She didn’t look the least bit sorry. “You feel the exact same way. You all but told me that when we woke up this morning.” She immediately reddened. “I mean, when I saw you this morning.”

I knew that Daniel and Sarah had something going on, but this was the first time that I had proof. I was happy for them. For as long as I’d known Daniel, I’d never seen him with a woman. “I’ll try not to comment on your relationship if you refrain from commenting on mine,” I said dryly.

“So you’re going to admit that it’s a relationship and not a one-night stand?” she snapped.

“Your donuts are burning,” I said easily as I stood. “I have some phone calls to make this morning. Please inform Julie and her son that they are welcome to enjoy the recreation areas of the house. If they wish, see to it that you pack them a nice picnic lunch. I’m sure I can spare an hour for a brief repast.”

––––––––

I WAS WELL INTO MY first conference call when Daniel messaged me to tell me that Julie and Tyler had decided to stay for a picnic. Part of me wanted her to leave so I didn’t have to deal with the day-after emotions, and part of me was already needing to fill her again. There was no doubt in my mind that had Tyler not said that he wanted a picnic, Julie would not still be here.

Why the hell had I offered to take them on a picnic? I’d never been on one in my entire life. I was supposed to be creating distance between myself and Julie, not giving her excuses to hang around.

There was another message from Miles. He wanted to know how the confrontation with Darleen went, but I ignored it. The last thing I wanted to do was explain that I’d hired Julie and bedded her within a week of her working for me.

The investment call ran much longer that I’d anticipated because an unexpected voice on the other end was Reid Foster, a Stonecutters fraternity brother from my college days. The friendly rivalry between the two of us that had us competing in drinking games at our exclusive rich-boy-frat-parties back then had us negotiating over percentage points today. I’d barely scratched off my to-do list when Daniel messaged me again to tell me that Julie and Tyler were waiting.

Trying to stow my irritation, after all, it was my idea, I unbuttoned the top buttons of my shirt and headed down the stairs. Tyler took one look at me and immediately frowned. “Why are you so dressed up? I thought we were going to the garden.”

“Tyler!” Julie shushed him, but I could see the same question in her eyes as well. “There’s no need to join us if you’re busy.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to suggest that they go without me, but I craved her nearness. Work was forgotten the minute that unhappy line creased her forehead. All I wanted to do was kiss her and tell her that there was nothing more I wanted to do.

“I have to eat as well,” I said with a stiff smile. “And I promise that I can play just as easily in these clothes as I could in something else.” Not to mention that I didn’t really own any casual clothes. My life didn’t really require it.

Sarah glared at me as she handed me the picnic basket. I thanked her, but she ignored me as she bent down and ruffled Tyler’s hair. As she told him to have a good time, I realized that my staff was rebelling against me.

How could they judge me when they clearly liked Julie and Tyler as much as I did? Did it really matter that we wanted them for two different reasons?

Tyler chatted incessantly about their morning activities as we walked to the gardens. There were picnic tables, but Sarah had packed a blanket, and Tyler insisted that we spread it out on the ground. I realized how much we must have looked like a happy family to any passerby's, and I found it difficult to breathe.

“Graham? Do you want chicken salad or tuna salad?” Julie asked as she pulled out the two containers. “Sarah also packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I think Tyler might wrestle you for it.”

My stomach turned as I stared at her. “I’m not hungry,” I muttered.

Julie turned her head and watched Tyler scamper through the flowers. “This was a mistake,” she said softly. “I should never have agreed to this.”

“To what? It’s just lunch.” Hadn’t I said that before?

“It’s not just lunch,” she snapped. “Tyler is getting attached to you, and that’s dangerous. He’s getting to that age where he’s going to want to have a father figure around, and we both know where this is going.”

Her words were like a slap in the face. All at once, I saw her face in the bed last night. I’d wanted to lave attention on her, and she just wanted to be fucked. “Where is this going?”

“You got what you wanted last night. I figured I’d be lucky if I kept my job for another week before you found some reason to let me go. This is not stable, and with all the instability in Tyler’s life, I can’t have him thinking that you’re going to be sticking it out.”

I clenched my jaw. “Are you telling me that you wanted to fuck me so bad that you were willing to lose your job over it?”

She inhaled sharply, but before she could reply, Tyler had returned. “Mr. Porter, there’s a man coming to join us.”

Whipping my head around, I saw Miles crossing the lawn towards us. He was grinning like a fool, and I knew the only thing that could make this situation worse was if he got involved.

“That’s my cousin,” I said as I stood. “I wasn’t expecting him. You two enjoy your picnic. If I can’t rejoin you, I’ll try to make it up to you.”

To his credit, Tyler didn’t complain as I walked away, and Julie never said a word. All I could think about was how many times my own father had promised me something only to fail to follow through.

“Did you get yourself a wife and kid while I was gone?” Miles asked as I joined him. “Flat chest, but damn, look at the curves on her hips.”

I didn’t think twice as I pulled my elbow back and sent my fist smashing into his jaw.