Page 5 of Straight, No Chaser
A move so like me it almost shocks me. And scares the fuck out of me how much he looks up to me. Watching me enough to mimic me. I've got to step it up. I hold back my laugh at his tough ass attitude and wink at him instead. "We'll see."
Molly's giggle makes both of us turn to her. Oh fuck. She's got that weepy ass look on her face again. It's annoying and more gorgeous than hell. I tap my watch and point to each of them, both of them laughing now.
I jog out the back door. It's only a few hours. How bad could it be?
3
Chapter Three
It's worsethan I ever fucking imagined.
I'm actually having a fucking good time. With him. With her. Like we're some kind of god damn stepford family. Eli's well behaved, saying please and thank you to everyone. Charming the girls running the face painting stand. They fawn over him, adding extra stripes and whiskers to his tiger and giving him a free balloon. He rewards them by blowing kisses and winking as much as a four-year-old can manage when we walk away. Making them squeal all over him again.
I don't think Molly's smile can get any bigger. Never wavering even when Eli spills ranch dressing on her slender leg from accidentally dumping his tray of chicken tenders. In those fucking tiny ass shorts she should not be allowed to wear in public.
I've had to hold back from throat punching several stupid motherfuckers ogling her. I mean we're a couple with a kid. For all they fucking know he's my son and she's my wife.
Wife.
Fuck me. I've got to stop thinking shit like that. Nanny. Nothing but hired help. Nothing but a woman who makes me forget about the gun tucked in my back waistband. Stop thinking about the two bodyguards always a few steps behind. Ignore my phone constantly buzzing with bullshit from a vicious world that feels miles away from Eli's hand tucked into ours, as we swing him into the air while we walk over the bridge toward the miniature farm. His giggles fill the air brighter than the abundant sunshine.
A sharp contrast to the dim light inside the building. Eli pauses in front of a display featuring several three-foot white plastic egg shells, the perfect size for a little kid's body. Several children climb on them as well as a nearby green tractor. He flexes on his heels, ready to bolt, and his huge blue eyes beg mine. "Can I play too?"
I know the kid gets lonely, sequestered in the fortress I've built for him. Pre-school for a couple of mornings a week isn't enough. Besides, letting him pretend to be farmer for a few minutes lets me catch up on the messages blowing up my phone, so I nod. He jumps forward and then whips around, tugging Molly's hand closer to mine and forcing them to entwine. "Stay together. Don't get lost."
"Okay Eli." She answers to his back because he's already gone, quick to make buddies with another boy crawling army-style through the fake grass. Her brief glance to me confirms her uncertainty, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear with her free hand while she stares at her gray and white tennis shoes. "That's what Ms. Abigail tells them when they go on field trips. They have to buddy up so no one gets lost."
Guess that's his teacher at The Brownstone Academy, where I drop five grand a month for him to listen to classical music while he finger paints. It's pretentious as hell but one of the few schools where no one blinks at armed bodyguards hovering around the tiny students. Rich parents willing to pay anything to get everything they want. "Good rule to have."
A timid smile lifts her rosy cheeks and she nods. Her gaze flicking from her feet to our fingers. Uncertain what to do.
Fuck if I'm going to be the one to let go. I could get fucking drunk from her delicate hand tucked into mine. Silky and warm. Surprisingly calm. Unlike all the women I've ever fucked in the past. Who always wanted something. Pulling me closer. Ravenous to touch me. Intent on seducing me. Desperate for money. Attention. Me.
Yet, she asks for nothing. Hell, she even paid for the tickets the first time she took Eli to see a movie. I had to put a stop to that shit real quick. Now the little yellow wallet tucked in her backpack is stuffed with cash and a black card with her crooked signature, inked with trembling fingers. Never greedy or presumptuous. I'm sure she second guesses her purchases all the time. Like I would ever double check or give a damn. Her care of Eli is worth every fucking penny.
She shifts her weight again. Maybe seeking a bit of relief from her embarrassment. Even that's fucking sexy as hell. With her shallow breathing. Perfect handfuls of breasts rising and falling under her glittery silver tee shirt. Dainty fingers fluttering from her hair to smoothing over her narrow waist to sliding in her pocket.
But the best fucking part — she doesn't release me either. Which makes my lame ass heart happy and my cock pissed as hell. Urging me to do more than hold her hand like a fucking twelve-year-old.
"Um, Luciano?"
Now my dick's really pissed from her almost whisper. Reminding me that I could have any fucking woman I want and with her, I haven't done a damn thing. "Yeah?"
"I've been wanting to ask you. I mean...If it's alright...I need to..."
I hate the fucking rambling. I'm trying to be a good guy here which is fucking killing me. But most assholes wouldn't be so patient.
So, as much as I loathe the loss of contact, I drop her hand and curl my finger around her belt loop, yanking her to face me. Only a few inches separate us. The top of her head doesn't even reach my throat. This has lawsuit written all over it. I'm almost fucking groping my employee. But I fucking hate seeing her lack of confidence. She's fucking beautiful, smart and compassionate. None of which means she can't stand up for herself.
"Do I frighten you Molly?"
Her petite body trembles under my inquisition. Grazing mine when she shudders. Making me so fucking hard to know the power I have over her. Which I don't want any other motherfucker to ever have. She's mine.
"I just..."
"What?"
She finally, finally looks up. "I don't want you to be mad at me."
