Page 18 of Worthy

“Yes, Sir.” Faith rose stiffly to her feet.

I hadn’t inspected her figure earlier, but it was lovely and ripe, curved in all the right places. I felt my cock stir again. Down, boy.

“Bring your phone. And the agreement,” I added.

I stalked down the hall to one of the other administrative offices, which was empty. “Sit,” I ordered, motioning to the chair across from the desk.

I locked the door behind us.

Faith glanced at me nervously, but then she seemed to gather her courage. She stared straight ahead, clutching her phone.

“What seems to be the problem, Faith?”

“It’s not a problem—not exactly,” she said haltingly, still staring straight ahead. “It’s this agreement.”

“Eyes on me,” I commanded coldly.

“Oh! I’m sorry.” She looked at me wildly, then took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

“That’s better.” I took the seat behind the desk, satisfied as she kept her gaze locked to mine. As I’d assessed earlier, Faith was a quick learner. But I was disappointed that she was already crying in the Madam’s office and asking for special favors. That behavior spelled d-r-a-m-a, and neither I nor the club had use for that.

“What’s your issue with the agreement?” I asked. “It’s standard operating procedure for a private club. Employees aren’t allowed access to personal cellular devices except during designated times. We have to protect our members’ privacy, and we need all employees focused on providing an immersive experience.”

“I understand that, Sir.” Her wide blue eyes stayed trained on me. “And I wouldn’t have a problem with it, but I have a younger brother. He’s fourteen.”

“Everyone has someone, Faith,” I said coolly.

“I know—of course.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “And I’m not trying to be difficult or ask for special treatment. Except, I guess I am. My brother’s really sick. He almost died last year. He’s living at a cancer center, and I usually check in on him several times a day.”

I hesitated for a moment. I hadn’t expected that. “Can’t your parents check on him?”

“No, Sir. I don’t know where our father is—we’re not in touch—and my mother isn’t involved. It’s just Lucas and me.” Her eyes filled with tears.

“Are you his legal guardian?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t know how to do that. I thought I needed a lawyer, and it would be too expensive. But I’m over eighteen, so he designated me as his emergency contact—that’s how I got him in the treatment program. Sir.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your brother. And I understand you’re in a difficult position.” I dropped the tone of disapproval from my voice because I did understand—more than she knew.

“He thinks I left town because I’m nannying for a rich family. He won’t understand why I can’t call him,” Faith said, her voice hoarse. “I’ve always been the one to take care of him. He doesn’t have anybody else, Sir.”

Fuck. This girl. How could I not feel sorry for her?

But I had to be the boss. I had to adhere to the rules—my rules.

“Unfortunately, we cannot issue any special exceptions or exhibit preferential treatment to our employees,” I said.

Faith kept her eyes on me. She blinked back her tears and nodded in acknowledgment.

“If I let you keep your phone, it’s not fair to the other girls,” I continued. “Like I said, everyone has someone. If you can’t follow the rules, you are, of course, free to leave. Per your contract, you’ll have to return two-thirds of the signing bonus.”

An uneasy silence descended over the room as Faith weighed her options. I realized I was holding my breath. I didn’t want her to leave, but I had a duty to maintain the integrity of the rules.

“I understand, Sir.” Her slender throat worked as she swallowed hard. She raised her chin. “I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize my job. It’s how I’m paying for Lucas’s treatment. I need this—I’m doing it for him.”

“I respect that, Faith.” And I did.

She picked up a pen from the desk and signed the agreement. She placed her phone on the paper and slid it across the desk.

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