Page 816 of One More Kiss

Trevor

When my long-timecolleague and friend, Victoria Swenson, recommended that I hire one of her students to help me care for my children, I was quite resistant to the idea. It had been five years since I'd lost my wife and the thought of putting myself through the hiring process for something so intimate as childcare was not an idea I relished. Olivia had hired our children's first nanny. Mrs. Bast had remained with us for years.

She cared for us during Olivia’s illness and guided the children and me through our grief. Six months ago, she decided to retire to move to the midwest to live with her daughter and grandchildren.

Naturally, Liam and Eloise were devastated. I was beside myself. Losing Edna would be like losing Olivia all over again. She had handpicked Edna Bast from dozens of applicants, and she was the only mother figure the children had known. How could I possibly hope to replace her? Running a billion-dollar corporation was easy. There was no emotion involved. I could hire and fire at will, but choosing a person to help raise your children, without input from their mother, whom they'd barely known was quite another story. I offered Mrs. Bast an embarrassing amount of money to stay on, but she refused, insisting that I was ready and was perfectly capable of finding the right person. She specifically said the word "person" not nanny.

When Frederick led Miss Wesley into my study, I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't her. For starters, she was beautiful, possibly one of the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She was dressed demurely, but I could instantly tell it was a facade. She gave the impression of a young woman trying to appear older and more sophisticated, but when she fixed her eyes on me, I sensed something of a wild, untamed spirit. Her gaze awakened something inside me and I wanted nothing more at that moment than to know more. An embarrassing large erection strained against my zipper as I imagined crossing the room in long strides, ripping her blouse open sending buttons scattering across the floor and burying my face in soft, fragrant skin of her breasts. I hadn't felt this in five years, and it was confusing. I pushed it out of my mind and focused on the task at hand.

I dismissed Fredrick, took a seat at my desk to hide my massive erection and motioned for Miss Wesley to sit. I had asked Victoria not to reveal my identity to her prospect. The last thing I needed was a sycophantic art student intent on using the position to gain leverage in the art world. Nevertheless, I could immediately tell by this woman’s expression that she’d worked out who I was. Absent from her face was the usual opportunistic hunger that the women I'd come in contact with over the years unsuccessfully tried to hide in the presence of a single grieving billionaire with two young children. The look on Miss Wesley's face told me she wanted nothing from me and in that moment I wanted to give her everything.

It had beentwo days since my interview with Gaia Wesley, and she's occupied every waking moment. She was beautiful, intelligent and she ignited a fire in me that I had long thought extinguished. If any other person would have spoken to me the way she did they would have lived to regret it, but I wanted to punish my little goddess by grabbing her, tearing her clothes off and fucking her until she screams my name, begging for more. I also wanted more. I wanted her, all of her. I wanted to possess her, keep her, hold her in my arms and never let go. She was the first person I encountered in years that wasn't interested in my money or connections and wasn't afraid to challenge me if she didn't agree with my opinions. I didn't know how much I needed that until I'd insulted the artist who shared her name. Her iridescent blue eyes flashed, and at that moment I was gone. I was hers, and she needed to be mine.

“Daddy!”I heard a high pitch squeal from outside my study where I’d apparently been spending too much time staring at an empty chair, her chair. “C’mon, we gotta leave now, or we're gonna be late!” It was Eloise, my six-year-old daughter and the only person who could tear me away from my tortured thoughts, besides Liam, her eight-year-old brother. They were dressed up, Liam in a miniature version of the tuxedo I was wearing, but he insisted on a bow tie that covered in cartoon webs as a nod to his favorite superhero and Eloise looked perfect in a pink confection covered in rhinestones and matching bow for her dark auburn curls. "Auntie Victoria is waiting for us. Now, let's go!"

"Yes, ma'am!" I chuckled, and we climbed into the car and headed to the opening of a new gallery across town.

As we pulled in front, there was already a crowd of photographers. We exited the car and the kids, spotting Victoria, scrambled out of the car screaming, "Auntie Victoria!"

“Check out this sweet bow tie!”

“Do you like my dress? Watch me twirl!”

“You two look amazing!” she beamed. “Let’s go inside. There’s a chocolate fountain!”

Two sets of little eyes lit up and raced for the door. We followed them inside.

"Daddy, can we go get some chocolate?"

“Yes, Liam just keep an eye on your sister and stay where I can see you.”

“Aren’t you going to tell him not to get his tux dirty?” Victoria smirked.

"Hell no. What if someone told an eight-year-old Jackson Pollock to keep his clothes clean?" She smiled at that and turned to face me.

“So, how was your interview? Isn’t Gaia great?”

I rounded on her, “What on earth were you thinking sending that girl to my house? You should have seen the way she conducted herself. She blew up at me because I insulted an artist she liked.”

“Hmm, sounds like someone I know.”

“I would never act that way in a professional setting.” She shot me a look that said, Really? I pretended not to see it. “I’ve never seen anything like it, Vic.”

“So,” she inquired still smirking, “you liked her that much?”

"What exactly are you…" I stopped mid-sentence. I saw Liam a few feet away completely engrossed in the chocolate fountain, but no sign of the cotton candy pink dress and bouncing brown curls. "Do you see Eloise?"

Victoria shook her head, her eyes scanning the crowd.

"Liam," I called quickly closing the distance between us, with Victoria close behind, "Where is your sister?" Liam, who was in the process of sliding a giant chocolate covered marshmallow in his mouth, looked around frantically then up at me and shrugged.

“I’ll check the bathroom,” Victoria called over her shoulder, already in transit.

I called the head of security, who was a few feet away.

“I need you to cover all exits and keep an eye on my son.” I gestured to Liam. “We’re looking for a little girl in a pink dress.”

"Yes, sir." He started barking into a radio attached to his jacket as he followed me around the gallery. I had a feeling I knew where she was headed.

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