Page 13 of Controlling Natasha

I shrug, almost laughing.“Let me keep at least one secret, Mr.Controlling.”

He chuckles.I’m relieved.I was afraid I might have gone too far.Apparently, he doesn’t mind.“Touché.”He glances at his watch.“It’s late.You’ve had a long day.You should get to bed.”

When we stand, Edith bustles into the room as if she were waiting for us to leave.She hurries over to clear the table.

I reach for my plate and glass.“I’ll help you clean up,” I say.

Edith shakes her head.“Not necessary, sweetie.I’ve got it.”

“I’m not used to being waited on.I can load a dishwasher or wash dishes by hand, you know.”

Mr.Hoffman chuckles again.“No sense arguing with her, Natasha.”

Edith grabs several plates and stacks them.“If Jameson finds out other people are better than me in the kitchen, I’ll lose my job.”

I roll my eyes.“That will never happen.”Somehow, I know this to be true.Mr.Hoffman is a good man who clearly takes excellent care of his staff and his freeloading houseguests.

“What time shall I serve breakfast?”she asks, glancing at Mr.Hoffman first and then me.

“Is eight okay, Natasha?”Mr.Hoffman asks.

“That’s fine.Thank you.”

Mr.Hoffman reaches for my elbow to guide me toward the exit.“We’ll take breakfast and lunch in the kitchen, Edith.No need to be formal.”

“Okay, sir.Have a good night.Sleep well, Natasha.”

As soon as we’re in the hallway out of earshot, I ask, “Do Edith and Albert live here?”

“Yes.They have a private apartment on the third floor.Most of it is their living quarters.”

That’s good to know.I won’t wander up there.

We climb the stairs in silence, and when we reach my room, Mr.Hoffman turns on the light for me and hesitates in the doorway.“Do you shower or bathe at night or in the morning?”

“Uh, in the morning, usually.”What a strange question.

Mr.Controlling.Is he going to tell me I’m doing it wrong and list the reasons I should shower at night instead?

“Do you have anything you need to do for school tonight?”

It’s a Friday, so I don’t have anything urgent.“No, sir.I’ll probably just unpack my things and read for a while.”

“Okay, don’t take too long.I can tell you haven’t slept enough in months, maybe longer.”

Am I that transparent?It’s never seemed like an issue before since most college students are in the same boat, walking around like zombies.If I don’t have to work or cook or clean, I’ll be the most well-rested student on campus.

He glances at his fancy, expensive watch.“It’s nine fifteen.Can you be in bed by ten?Lights out at eleven?”

I swallow.“Yes, sir.”I come so very close to sayingyes, Mr.Controllinginstead, but I’m not sure how well that’s going to go over indefinitely.He chuckled the first time.He might not continue to find it humorous.

“Good girl.”He beams.“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to come to me.I’ll see you at breakfast.”He pulls the door closed and disappears.His footsteps get quieter on the hardwood floors until another door opens and closes.

I don’t move for a long time as I process the many odd things he said in the last five minutes.He’s truly the bossiest man alive.He’s micromanaging me.Hell, he’smacromanaging me.I probably should have told him to stop.Instead, I let him steamroll me.

What would happen if I stayed up past ten?Would he know?I shudder.Somehow, I suspect he would.And I’m certain he will look in the hall at eleven to make sure my light is off.Would he know if I were on my phone past that hour?It’s a tempting idea to find out, but on the other hand, I’m exhausted and have no interest in being awake past ten, let alone eleven.

I’m betting it will take me that long to get my mind to stop running through everything that has happened since I got here, though.It’s been a lot.

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