Page 38 of That First Night
“Hot nanny definitely reads porn.” Marc laughs after reading the message.
“Okay, we’re done here.” I grab my phone from his hand and make a move to stand up. “I want to get home in time to see James before he gets to bed. I’m outta here.”
I throw a couple twenties on the table to cover my drinks and some of theirs and I’m out the door. I lied when I said I wanted to see James before he went to bed because he’s not even home tonight. Emiline wanted to spend some time with him, so they are having a sleepover. I need to talk to Peyton so we can put this shit behind us.
When I get home and walk through the elevators into the foyer, the house is dark, and I hear faint giggles coming from the kitchen.What is that smell?It smells like chocolate chip cookies.
I don’t bother going upstairs to get changed and I can feel my heart rate picking up as I make my way to the kitchen. Turning the corner, I spot Peyton sitting on the island countertop, a blonde woman sitting on the opposite countertop and a dark-haired woman sitting at the barstool. I’ve seen the dark-haired woman before and if I’m not mistaken, she’s the same girl from that first night I met Peyton.
They still haven’t noticed me as I stand in the archway to the kitchen. I take a moment to take Peyton in, my eyes skimming her body from top to bottom. She’s wearing black sleep shorts that expose her long lean legs and a matching black top. It’s a silky material and the top is much larger than her body, so it hangs slightly over her shoulder when she moves. Her golden blonde hair sits at the top of her head, in a messy bun.
They have tequila out on the table with a couple of lime slices chopped up on the cutting board. Her two friends are doing some perfectly choreographed dance toSalt and Pepper - Push it, while Peyton laughs uncontrollably at them.
I lean against the archway as I cross my arms over my chest, and I feel my mouth curve into a smile instinctively as I take these girls in. I notice she hasn’t stopped smiling since I’ve been standing here. You can tell that these must be her close friends because they bring out the best in her.
The selfish bastard in me wants her friends out of my house, though.
I clear my throat and all three of them startle from where they are sitting.
“Thomas,” Peyton gasps, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you would be home this early.” She moves through the kitchen to turn off the music and clean up, as if she’s a kid who just got caught eating snacks when they shouldn’t be.
“Peyton.” I feel a faint smile pull at my lips when her name comes out of my mouth, “It’s fine, you're allowed to have your friends over. You live here, too.”
The blonde hops off the counter and does what looks like a little skip over to me. I don’t know what that move was, but it was something that I would see my three-year-old do.
“Hey there, Daddy, I’m Avery.” She holds her hand out to shake mine.
“Avery—” Peyton growls at her.
I can’t help but laugh at how she just called me ‘Daddy’. Reaching my hand out to hers, I reply, “Hello, Avery. I’m Thomas, but my friends call me Tommy.” I turn my gaze to Peyton and give her a wink.
Avery’s mouth falls open and her eyes dart back and forth between the two of us.
The dark-haired woman that I recognize from the gala when I first met Peyton, chimes in, “Alright, Avery. It’s time to get you home.” She hooks her arm into Avery’s elbow. “Hi, Thomas, my name is Kali. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’m sorry about her.”
“Likewise,” I reply with a small laugh. “However, we’ve briefly met before.”
She nods and smiles, “We have, haven’t we?”
Avery’s mouth falls open again, she’s definitely drunk. “How do I miss all the meetings with the hot daddies? This is fucking ridiculous,” she shrieks, throwing her hands up in the air.
“On that note, we’re out,” Kali says, pulling Avery towards the front door. “Peyton, call us in the morning” she calls from over her shoulder as the two of them walk out of the kitchen.
I watch and wait as the elevator doors close behind them before I turn my gaze back to Peyton. She’s standing over the oven pulling out a tray of chocolate chip cookies. When she places the tray on the top of the oven, she removes the oven mitts and turns her body to face me. I take a moment to scan her from her legs to her face. When my gaze reaches her face, our eyes meet, and I see a gorgeous smile on her face.
“Where’s James?” she asks.
“He’s having a sleepover with Emiline. She misses him.” I shrug. My eyes scan the bottle of liquor and baked goods and I smirk. “Tequila and cookies, Ms. Kelly?”
“Of course, would you like some?” she replies with a smile. With just that one simple question and the tone of her voice, I know that the tension from this week has gone out the window.
I cross the kitchen to meet her at the oven. When I do, the buzz from being in her presence comes back full force and my hand finds the small of her back as I lean in and reach for a cookie with the other hand. Facing her, I take a bite of it and just as I suspect, it’s amazing.
“Mmm,” I groan, “This is delicious, Peyton.”
She blushes at my compliment. “Thank you.”
She steps away from my personal space to go to the sink and clean some dishes. As she’s walking to the sink, she begins to talk with her back facing me, “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
