Chapter Text
"Come on, now, it’s time to get up.”
“I’m up,” you grunted in response, eyes still shut as you snuggled the blanket tighter. You heard footsteps and prayed they were headed out of your room.
The voice belonged to your mother whom you’ve been living with for the past six months and moving back home with your parents had not been easy for you. It wasn’t long ago that you had a five-year plan to finish college and begin the takeover of your family business. Well, that wasn’t your plan, it was Ma’s plan.
Your plan, however…
Okay you didn’t have a plan, and you didn't need one because you had a dream, and that dream was to move to California and become the greatest screenwriter of all time. But dreams like that don’t pay the bills and you had a lot of those, which was why you moved back in with your parents in the first place.
When a bright light attacked your eyes, you were wrong about the direction of those footsteps. Apparently they were moving to the flowered curtain keeping the sun at bay. You squeezed your eyes tighter and threw the blanket over your face.
“Seriously Ma?"
“You got a job interview today, so I suggest you get your butt up, get washed and dressed and get going.”
You peeked your head from under the blanket and looked at the time on your phone. “Ma, it’s 8am.”
“You know what they say. The early bird catches the fish.”
“Catches the worm.”
“Penguins don’t eat worms. I was talkin’ ‘bout them.”
“That’s beside the point, Ma. The interview isn’t until twelve.”
Ma walked over and sat down on the bed. “Well, now you got some time to get yourself together and eat something. Maybe even go for a walk.”
“I don’t wanna go for a walk.”
“But it’s so sunny outside."
“Really? I didn’t know that.” You sarcastically answered. Ma covered your face with the blanket and held you down. All you could do was giggle until you felt the silk scarf on your head slipping off. “Ma, you're messin’ up my hair.”
Ma took the blanket off you and fixed the scarf on your head. “We can’t have you walking around looking like anybody’s child.”
“I look like your child.”
Ma stood up, making her way to the door. “Not with your hair all discombobulated like that.”
“You’re the one that messed it up.”
“Nope. It was already sideways when I came in here. You sleep just as crazy as ya daddy."
"Oh, hush." You threw the blanket over your face when she left the room.
After about an hour you got yourself up, dressed and ready. You did go for a walk, but it was a short one to your car, to the manager’s office at Wendy's and back to your car again. You didn’t get the job and truth be told you didn’t want it. The manager was a creep, and you would’ve ended up quitting the job in less than a month anyway.
The weeks had passed, and you were still without a job. It didn’t help that Ma was pressuring you to get one so you could hurry up and move out of the house. She cried every day for a week after you went off to college and begged you to come back home but now, she couldn’t wait for you to be gone. It would’ve offended you if you didn’t walk in on her and Pops having sex. So, you did the one thing you didn't want to do: You applied for a job at the high-end beauty supply store cousin Mel worked at and actually got it. You loved Mel, you truly did, but she was so uppity she ate a cheeseburger with a knife.
You glanced up at the clock. It was 2:50pm which meant you had ten minutes until your shift was over and you could finally go back home. And by home you meant back to Mel’s penthouse that you begged her to stay at until you had enough money to pay for an apartment. And it wasn't that you didn't have the money, you just didn't want to dip into your savings because that money was for when you finally moved to California. Your dream was still very much alive.
"Excuse me, dear," an old woman said, interrupting your thoughts. "Can I try one of the samples you have here?" she asked, pointing to the array of miniature perfume bottles at your station.
You perked up, happy to finally be talking to someone. "Of course. Which one would you like?"
She picked up a clear bottle with the a barely visible label on it. “What’s this one called?”
You picked up the bottle, having to squint because you didn’t have on your reading glasses. “Taste of Summer. God, why do they have the name printed so small?"
“Tell me about it,” the frail woman leaned closer. “I asked Tommy about that, and you know what he told me?”
You leaned in closer, expressing genuine interest. “What?”
“He said “Maybe if you weren’t blind as a bat you could see a little better.”” You gasped. “And you know what I did?”
You put your hand under your chin. “What did you do?”
“I slapped him with my purse.”
“You should’ve hit him twice.”
“Oh, I did,” the woman laughed.
You laughed right with her, ending the fit with a smile on your face. "Good for you." You sprayed the nozzle to give her a sample of the scenet but instead of the contents spraying toward the open air next to the woman it sprayed directly into your face.
“Fuck. Fuck. Jesus- Fuck.” You covered your hands with your face, squeezing your eyes shut. “Dammit it burns.”
“Here, reach out your hand, sweetheart ” the old woman said.
You heard the rustling of a plastic bag and reached out your hand, feeling a cold, wet rag being placed on top of it. It felt like heaven when it touched your face and cooled the burning sensation.
“My son always makes me carry one since it’s been so hot lately.”
After it cooled down enough, you removed the rag and looked in the mirror.
“Oh dear, you look like you've had about twenty blunts."
You chuckled. "What do you know about blunts, Miss?"
Her eyes widened. "A lot."
Tommy walked over to you carrying a box in his hand. “Y/N, I need you to deliver this for me.” He looked at your eyes when you turned around. “Jeez. How many blunts did you smoke on break?”
“She accidentally sprayed the perfume in her eyes.”
“How the hell do you spray perfume in your eyes?” Tommy asked, which, to be fair, was a valid question but you had no intention of answering it. “Never mind, I need you to deliver this package to The Village. House Dimitrescu to be exact.”
“She’s in no shape to deliver anything.”
Tommy waved the old woman off. “Mind your business, lady.” The woman hit him with her purse and stormed off. “Ouch,” he laughed.
“Why does she even bother putting up with you?” You asked.
“It’s the only beauty supply store in walking distance. Now, enough with the questions and deliver this thing. You can even go home when you're done." Tommy sat the box down and slid it over to you.
“Who’s it for?”
Tommy glared at you. “It says house Dimitrescu. Do the math.”
You rolled your eyes and watched him walk away.
You pulled up to a speaker box just outside of a gated community. You didn’t know anything about The Village. Well, you knew it was part of Elite Squad, the name hipsters gave to the area where only the rich and famous lived. As a kid you pictured yourself living in a place like this when you finally made it big as a writer. Well, not exactly The Village but more of a big spacious gayed community where you and all your cousins would live.
“What are you here for?” a man’s voice asked.
You rolled the windows down and leaned forward. “I’m here to drop off a package to House Dimitrescu.” The gates buzzed and opened. You drove around marveling at the large mansions spaced far apart from each other. It took you about five minutes to find the house you were looking for and when you did you pulled up to a stop. Outside the mansion were two cars, one a black range rover with tinted windows and the other a blue Lamborghini, also with tinted windows. Whoever lived here loved their privacy and was super rich.
You looked at yourself in the side mirror of your car. The redness had gone down but it was still visible up close. Taking the box from the passenger seat you got out of the car and walked past four pillars on your way to the front door. You raised your hand but before you could knock a tall brunette opened it. The girl couldn’t have been older than fifteen despite almost towering over you. She looked at you up and down. The scrunch of her face made you shift uncomfortably from where you stood, like you had no business being in such a fancy neighborhood.
“I’m here to-” before you could finish the door slammed in your face. “Rude.” You reached a hand to knock again but you were interrupted when the girl returned to the door.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m Y/N from Veil, the make-up store.” You lifted the package. “I’m here to drop this off.” She looked at you and then the package before stepping aside and allowing you in.
“I just got my nails done; I’m not carrying that.”
“Oh. Okay.” You walked past her and entered the house. The foyer was large and there was a double staircase that led to the upstairs area. Even from so low you could see the paintings that littered the walls. Positioned between the staircases was a large glass table littered with plants you've never seen before. You weighed the package in your hand, figuring it was light enough to be sat down on the table.
You heard the door close, and the brunette walked off and disappeared around a corner. You stood awkwardly near the door. Not knowing what to do with yourself, so you turned around and gripped the handle to leave.
“Hi,” a small voice said beside you. You jumped, placing a hand on your chest.
“Jesus Christ. Where did you come from?”
The short redhead put her hands behind her back and twisted herself, a shy smile on her face. “Around. Who are you?”
“My name is Y/N. I just came to drop off a package. What’s your name?”
“Daniela!” a British man’s voice screamed. The girl’s eyes widened, and you concluded that it was her being called. She scurried, hiding behind you.”
“Daniela!” the voice yelled again, and this time a tall, chubby man appeared with his face covered in white powder.
“Are you alright?” You asked, genuinely concerned but holding back a laugh.
“Do I look alright? I look like a powdered donut.” Daniela giggled from behind you. “She asked me to check her hairdryer because it wasn’t working. Being the dutiful butler I am, I checked it but when I turned it on, I was assaulted by a flurry of powder.” He looked at the watch on his arm. “Oh heavens, would you look at the time. I haven’t even begun dinner and the Lady will be home soon.” He looked back to you pointing a finger. “Keep her out of the kitchen. There’s no telling what else she’s done.”
“I have to leave.”
“No,” the man pleaded, getting down on his knees in front of you. “Don't leave me. They've been driving me to the brink of madness all day." He grabbed your hand. "I’ll just tell the Lady you’re one of the nannies I pre-interviewed today. Please, I’ll do whatever you wish. I’ll give you money. I’ll owe you a kidney. I’m desperate.”
Oh, what the heck. You didn't have anything to do anyway. “Okay,” you laughed, helping him back to his feet. “Y/N, by the way.”
“Thank you so much, Y/N. The name’s Duke.”
“Where’s the other nanny anyway?” Daniela asked. “She never even showed up.”
“The other nannies probably told her about your pranks and she scurried off.” With that, Duke turned and marched to the opposite side of the foyer.
That’s probably where the kitchen is, you thought. You turned to Daniela. “Guess it’s just you and me, kid.”
Daniela eyed you with a menacing look. “I’m not a kid, I’m nine and three quarters and don’t you forget it.”
You put your hands up in surrender. “Got it.”
“Daniela!” Duke yelled again.
“What did you do this time?” You asked.
“I put a rubber band on the sprayer so that whoever turns the water on-”
“Gets sprayed with a bunch of water.” You nodded out of respect for the prank. An oldie but goodie.
Daniela pulled you into what you could only assume was the family room. There was a comically large TV hung up on the wall, a cream-colored sectional sofa in the middle of the room, and a wooden table in front of it littered with various items including a bunch of pencils, a sharpener, and a binder with the name “Cassandra” on it.
You sat down on the couch and Daniela sat beside you.
“I like your hair,” she said, her head tilted as she looked at the long, tight curls. “It’s very pretty.”
You smiled at her. “Thank you. Yours is too,” you said. Thanks to growing up with a hair stylist for a mother, you recognized that her hair had been finger curled.
She eyed you curiously. “Aren’t you a little too young to be a nanny?”
You laughed. “Technically, I’m not a nanny. I work at Veil, the make-up store inside the mall.”
“Oh. That’s where my mom gets her make-up from. I think she has to order extra now because Bela and Cass are at that age where they care too much about what people think of them.”
“Shut up,” the brunette said, walking into the room and plopping down on the couch.
“You shut up, Cass.”
Cass rolled her eyes. She reached for the remote and scrolled through Netflix for something to watch. “Hey lady, how old are you?” she asked, eyes still on the TV.
“23.”
Cass stopped to look at you. “Jeez, you’re practically a boomer.”
“If I’m a boomer then you’re a millennial,” was your response and Cass scrunched up her face.
“You mean the worst generation since boomers?” She turned back to the TV. “No thank you.”
Daniela sat back on the couch. “I personally think generational wars are stupid. Just another thing for humanity to be fighting each other about.”
“You know what? I agree," you nodded.
Cass scoffed. She sat the remote down and picked up her binder from the table and began writing in it. She grunted in frustration.
“Everything alright over there?” You asked. Cass didn’t respond. You got up and walked over to sit beside her. On the paper was a bunch of math you remembered from your own time in school. “Ah, fractions. The root of all evil.”
“They’re so confusing. How do I even find what’s one and one third plus two and two fifths?”
If it’s one thing you hated in school, it was math. Math was horrible. You didn’t need fractions to write scripts. You just needed to know how to write. That and a good imagination. And Pre-Calc, oof, you didn’t even want to think about Pre-Calc. The irony of it all was that you were good at math. Not great but passable so it didn’t take long for you to show Cass an easy way to come up with the answer.
“Good, you got fifty-six fifteenths now turn that into a proper fraction.”
Cass did the work in her book and looked up at you when she finished. “Three and eleven fifteenths,” she confidently stated.
“That’s correct!”
Cass grinned. “I'd like to keep this one."
“You never likes the nannies...interesting,” you heard Daniela say from behind you.
Cass flipped to another page in her binder. “What do you know about science?”
You searched your mind for the perfect answer. “The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”
“You’re hired!” Cass enthusiastically stated.
“Cass I need you to help me!” a frantic voiced yelled and you could hear someone rushing down the steps. Another girl ran into the room; half of her blonde hair dyed pink.
Daniela gasped. "Bela, what did you do to your hair?”
“It looks horrible.” Cass replied.
“I was trying to go for a new look but halfway through I regretted it." Bela animatedly jumped up and down. "Oh my God, mom’s gonna kill me.”
“It was nice knowing you,” Cass said, turning back to the TV.
“Stooop I hate you,” Bela whined.
You cracked a smile. Siblings were something you always wished you had. Being an only child was lonely and that’s why you swore that if you ever had children of your own, you’d have a whole football team.
“I can fix it for you,” you spoke up. “I mean, not me, but my mom owns a hair salon and she’s much more equipped to reverse a bad dye job.”
“It’s that bad?” Bela cried, flopping over the couch.
“No, it’s not bad. It’s just, you know-”
“The worst dye job ever,” Cass interrupted. She put a hand on your shoulder. “Don’t be shy. You can say it.”
“Can you take me to the salon, please?” Bela asked. When she looked up you could see the genuine tears in her eyes, and it tugged at your heart strings.
“Yeah, come on. My cars out front.” You stood up and walked to the front door. “Shit. Wait. Let me go ask Duke, since, you know, you’re not my children and we just met twenty minutes ago.”
“Off to the kitchen we go,” Daniela sang, “So Y/N can put two dollars in the swear jar.”
The four of you walked to the kitchen but Bela hid behind the door. Still sporting the powder that was now dried clumps thank to the water, Duke frantically rolled raw ground beef into balls and sat them in a silver pan.
Duke pointed an accusatory finger at them. “Out of the kitchen you scoundrels. I’m making dinner.”
“Umm, I was wondering if I could take them out for a bit to get some fresh air.”
“You’re not going to kidnap them, are you?”
“They're adorable so yeah, I might."
"Take them. Take all of them."
“Oh please,” Cass waved him off. “You wouldn’t know what to do without us.”
“I’d get a good night’s rest; I tell you that. Although, the Lady will have my head if anything happens to them so, please bring them back in one piece.”
“I will keep them safe,” you truthfully stated.
“Now go. Get out,” Duke said shooing all of you away.
When you turned around Daniela was standing there with a jar full of money in her hand.
"The swear jar is real?"
"Yup."
You dug into your pocket and reluctantly stuffed two one-dollar bills into the jar.
You pulled up to the hair salon you helped name Loretta’s Divine Curls . You turned to the passenger seat where Bela was sitting, her hair covered in a scarf and a pair of sunglasses from your glove compartment shielding her eyes.
Cass furrowed her brows. “You look like you murdered your husband and ran away to Paris, but you saw the detective in the lobby of the hotel and now you’re in disguise.”
You looked at Cass through the rereview mirror. “That was...oddly specific.”
“I watch too much TV,” Cass nodded. “It’s a real problem.”
“One thing to know about Cass is that she always has something smart to say,” Bela spoke up. “I’ve seen her argue with a kitten.”
Cass crossed her arms. “Mr. Snuggles was talking back to me. I had to show him who’s boss.”
“That’s why he ran away from you,” Daniela chimed in.
Cass elbowed Daniela. Daniela elbowed her back and before you knew it the girls were pulling each other’s hair.
“Enough, you two," Bela said.
Daniela crossed her arms. “She started it."
“And I’m going to finish it,” Cass replied, putting her in a headlock.
“Hey, alright. You two out of the car,” you commanded. Everyone got out of the car and stood just outside of it. “No more fighting, okay? Your sisters. You aren’t supposed to fight, you’re supposed to help each other fight other people.” Daniela and Cass glared at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter. You smiled. “We’re good?” Daniela and Cass nodded. You turned to Bela. “Ready?”
“Yes, but how long will it take because my mom will be home by six.”
“Shouldn’t take long.” You looked at the time on your phone. It was almost four. “I’ll definitely have you back by six.”
When you walked in the salon was busier than usual. There were customers in nine of the twelve available chairs and one customer had two stylists working on her knotless braids. You did a quick scan of the room and saw Ma in her office.
“Ma, we got an emergency.”
Ma turned around from where she sat behind her desk. “Where you get these babies from?”
“I think I got a new job as a nanny."
“Aww I got grandbabies? Come here and give Nana a hug.” You watched as Ma ran out of her office and over to the girls, Daniela being the most excited to receive one. “Which one got the emergency?”
Bela sighed dramatically. She took the scarf off her head. Ma took a step back and examined the pink hair.
“Come on, Pumpkin, we gon get you set straight.” Ma walked Bela over to her station and began working on her hair.
You sat with Cass and Daniela in the waiting area. Cass skimmed through a book about black hair care while Daniela made conversation with a stylist who had red butterfly locs. All of the girls had their hair out in beautiful natural curls, but it warmed your heart to see them learning about the different styles they could potentially choose from. Just from that you knew that their mother most likely wasn’t a black woman and probably didn’t have the tools to teach them herself and it made you want to be that person for them, someone to teach them things about themselves they didn’t yet know.
But being stuck in a situation is the opposite of what you wanted. This was a one-day job, and that was that.
An hour later, an ecstatic Bela walked over to you and her hair was back to its natural blonde hair.
“I feel like a brand-new woman,” she smiled. She bent down and hugged you. “Thank you so much for bringing me, Y/N. You’re a life saver.”
You patted her on the back. “I see a young girl in crisis mode and I solve the crisis. It’s my specialty.”
Bela leaned back. “You’re the best nanny ever. I really hope my mom hires you.”
“Yeah, you’re the only one who actually likes us,” Daniela added with a pout.
“And you’re the only one who was smart enough to teach me fractions. They’re easy once you get the hang of it. Stupid, but easy.”
“Girls,” you sighed. “I've enjoyed hanging out with you today but I’m not a nanny. I’m not looking for anything permanent right now and being a caretaker is permanent, or at least it would be to me.”
“That's okay, Y/N,” a clearly disappointed Cass said. “We should get back to the house. Mom will be home soon.”
Daniela and Cass got up, holding each other as they walked out of the salon. Bela turned and held out her hand to you. You took it and stood up. “Will you at least stay for dinner?”
“I think I can do that.”
Dinner was quiet and afterwards the girls went upstairs to get ready for bed. Their mother, whoever she was, hadn’t shown up and they were visibly upset. You stayed a bit longer to help Duke clear the table and wash the dishes. You told yourself it was the southern hospitality Ma had instilled in you but really it was an excuse to stay a bit longer.
“Their mother is a very busy woman,” Duke said, interrupting your train of thought.
“I’m sorry?”
“The Lady, she's been very busy lately and it’s been hard on her but especially the girls. She’s not usually this busy at the beginning of the school year but when duty calls, she must always answer.”
“I get that, and I don’t know her enough to make judgment, but does she even call them?”
“All the time. I assure you she isn’t a terrible mother who leaves her children to be raised by the help, but the circumstances aren’t ideal for anyone right now.” Duke turns to you, and you could feel his heated gaze burrowing into the side of your head. You knew exactly what he was going to say next. “They could use someone like you.”
“Somebody black, you mean.”
“Well, no. I meant somebody who cares about them. You’ve spent more time with them today than any potential nanny ever has and not once did you ask about money. You also strike me as a woman who can put up with their shenanigans.”
“You seem like you hate it.”
Duke chuckled. “No, I don’t hate it at all. In fact, I love it.”
“But earlier-”
“Oh they drive me up the wall, for sure, but they're good kids and Daniela's pranks are harmless. It’s when she graduates to arson that I’ll truly be afraid.”
You laughed at that, drying off the last dish and stashing it away in the cabinet Duke directed you to earlier. The girls were missing their mother and they were sad about it, and they needed someone to be there for them, to guide them through whatever the next crisis would be. And as of now, their biggest crisis was sadness.
“I see a young girl in crisis mode and I solve the crisis.”
“Pardon?”
You turned to Duke. “I’ll stay.”
“You haven’t even heard the terms of the agreement.”
“So, tell me.”
“It will only be until the end of the school year, as we are moving back to California in the summer. It is also a live-in position so your living quarters will be upstairs. Friday and Saturday will be your off days. Most of our duties will be shared and they include but are not limited to general housekeeping, laundry, etcetera, etcetera. Although, taking the girls to and from school is your sole responsibility unless stated otherwise. The Lady will discuss pay with you when she returns. You will also be required to act as the Lady’s personal assistant in the event that she needs you. Oh, she has a very strict rule about fraternizing with employees so don’t get any ideas young lady.”
“Sorry Duke but my pendulum only swings one way.”
Duke waved her off. “Oh please, you wouldn’t be able to get into these knickers even if you were a tailor. I was referring to the Lady herself not fraternizing with employees.”
“Good to know,” you chuckled. You turned your attention toward the door where Bela was standing.
“You’re staying?” Bela grinned.
“I am,” you nodded with a smile.
“Can I show you your room? It’s huge and it has a walk-in closet.”
“Show me the way.”
Bela led you up the stairs to a bedroom in the far-left side of the upstairs hallway. When you walked inside, there was a large bed with a burgundy blanket that reminded you of the curtains at Mel's house. You walked in further and there was a dresser in the corner of the room, a small refrigerator, a big, green beanbag chair, and a large TV plastered to the wall that resembled the one in the living room. It was spacious, definitely bigger than your room at Ma’s house and it was almost bigger than Mel’s entire penthouse.
“Welcome to your new home. Oh, that's your closet over there.” Bela pointed to an open door across the room.
"No way," you said, jaw to the floor as you walked over to it.
“New home?” Cass asked as she came into the room. “Wait, are you staying Y/N?”
You nodded gleefully. “I am.”
“Yes! Now I don’t have to stay after school for tutoring.”
“And I have a partner in crime,” Daniela exclaimed as she bolted past you and jumped on the bed. “What are we gonna do first? I was thinking slime in a bucket at the top of a door and when Duke walks through he gets showered in gooey goodness.”
You thought for a second before saying, “What about putting lemon in his water and recording his reaction. The look on his face would be priceless.”
“That wouldn’t work. He drinks lemon water all the time.”
“Okay, so, what about putting his shampoo in the conditioner bottle and putting the conditioner in the shampoo bottle.” Surely that would do the trick. It was harmless and fun and…yeah you were terrible at pranks.
“Is she serious?” You heard Cass whisper to Bela.
“I think so,” Bella answered.
Daniela shook her head in disappointing fashion. “I have so much to teach you, young grasshopper.”
By ten o’clock the girls were asleep in their beds, and you didn’t have anything to do except wait for the Lady. Who was the Lady? Throughout the whole day you hadn’t bothered to ask yourself that question but now you were curious. Your curiosity took you to the foyer and led you to a room underneath the stairs. It gave off a forbidden vibe which is exactly why you pushed the door open.
Inside was a wooden desk with a bunch of papers neatly stacked around it. You peeked your head in further and saw that bottles of wine lined one of the walls and the wine colored couch that was on the opposite wall.
“So, you like to snoop.” A thick, raspy voice said behind you.
It was low and sultry, a voice you could lsiten to for hours on end. You pictured the an angel, possible a brunette, one that towered over you if Cass and Bela's heights were anything to go by. You turned around, curious to see if the voiced matched the quick image that swam into your head of a tall, raven-haired woman. When you did, a tall woman with alabaster skin was towering over you. Check. She was wearing a large hat on her head, but it didn’t cover the raven hair that was pinned just above her shoulders. Also check. After that you noticed the smirk that played on her lips, the skin beside her eyes crinkling a bit as she watched you take her in. Damn, the image in your head did the woman no justice. She just might be the most beautiful woman you had ever seen.
“Hi,” you finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity.
“Who, pray tell, are you and why are you sneaking into my office?”
“Y/N. I, umm, I’m the new nanny and I- I got lost.” Really? You got lost? You cursed yourself for coming up with something so stupid.
“Hmm. One thing to know about me, dear, is I do not tolerate liars. I hate them and believe they’re one of the many scums of the Earth right next to Karl Heisenberg. Never let me believe you are scum, understood?”
Don't get on this woman's bad side. Noted. “Yes, ma’am. I will never lie to you ever again. I promise."
"Hmm. We shall see." She turned and motioned with one long, slender finger for you to follow her into the office. You bit your lip to keep your mind from filling with impure thoughts of your boss. You were here for a job and that’s what you had to focus on.
But it was hard to focus with the way her white button down had showed the tiniest hint of her cleavage and her slacks accentuated her ass in the perfect way. And what a nice ass it was.
The Lady walked around her desk and sat in the queen-like chair. She took off her hat and sat it to her left on the desk.
“I wish to see your résumé”
You took out your phone, found the file and handed the device to the Lady. She scanned through the phone. Her brows furrowed.
“Tisch School of the Arts. Field of study?”
“Dramatic Writing.”
The Lady quirked an eyebrow. You nervously clasped your hands in front of you. Did she not deem you worthy because you didn’t have a more traditional field of study like business or economics? You hoped that wasn’t the case because you really wanted this job.
“You’re an aspiring screenplay writer?”
“Yes.”
She tilted her head and eyed you curiously. “What do you know about me?”
“You have three daughters, a butler and you’re a very busy woman.”
She quirked a brow. “Are you not familiar with my work?”
“You’re work? Do you sell wine or something?"
The Lady squinted her eyes. She stared at you for a moment before rummaging through her desk and sitting a piece of paper on it. “Read this over and if you are satisfied with the terms of the agreement, feel free sign it.”
You squinted at the paper as you read the words. Everything Duke told you was stated in the agreement. You sat the paper down on the desk.
“Do you have a pen?”
The Lady had one ready and waiting for you in her hand. She gave it to you, and you signed on the line.
“Done.” You slid the paper over to her.
“You’re not going to ask about pay?”
“Right, umm, how much do I get paid?”
She kept her skeptical eyes trained on you as she reached back into her desk drawer and pulled out her check book. She turned her attention to the book and her hand moving in a dramatic way as she inked the paper with her signature. When she was finished, she handed it to you.
Your eyes bulged at all the zeros. “No, this can’t be right. It's way too much.”
“Think of it as a pre-work bonus. I spare no expense when it comes to the well-being of my children.”
“If you think all of this will keep me here, you don’t have to do that." You slid the check back to her. "The girls and I had a chaotic but really good time today and I wouldn’t just leave.”
“I know, they told me all about it over the phone." She slid the check back to you. "However, you’ve had four jobs in the last year, the longest being a three-month stint as a waitress. Your current job is as a sales associate at Veil which I assume you’ll quit in the morning now that I’ve hired you.”
You’re mouth gaped open and shut like a fish before you finally said, “Well, you’re not wrong. Sometimes a job just isn’t right for you and it’s better to be honest with yourself instead of forcing the situation because your mom keeps pestering you about a job. It really fucks up your mental health, you know.” You paused realizing your mistake. “Dammit, that’s two dollars in the swear jar.”
“Four now,” the Lady smiled, and the lines formed around her lips made your heart swoon.
You finally picked up the check and waved it in the air. “This will be gone by the end of the week.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve put more money in the jar than I’ve spent on projects.”
When you heard her throaty chuckle, it made you flush but you were thankful your brown skin hid it from her.
“How were they today? They gushed about you, but they didn’t tell me any details about what they did.”
“They were amazing. I didn’t have any problems with them.”
“You don’t have to lie to me, Y/N. I raised those girls; I know exactly how they can be.”
"No, that's actually the truth." You walked around to the right side of her desk and sat in the empty spot beside her. “Okay, so Daniela is most definitely a menace but she’s so adorable and she’s going to teach me better pranks cause I suck at them. Cass was a little rude at first but once you get to know her, she’s a sweetheart and she's really funny. Bela, ugh, she reminds me of me when I was a teenager. I dyed my hair blue and my mother had a fit.”
The Lady furrowed her brows. “Bela died her hair blue?”
You looked down at the brunette from where you sat and an “Oh, shit,” expression was on your face. “It was pink.” The Lady raised her eyebrow, a signal for you to continue. “I took her to the hair salon and Ma fixed it for her. It’s back to normal.”
“Good to know.”
It took you a moment before you realized you had taken it upon yourself to invade the Lady’s personal space and your thigh was grazing her left arm. You felt so comfortable with her which was odd because you didn’t know anything about the woman, not even her name. You hopped off her desk and Lady didn’t say anything, but you could’ve sworn you saw her tilt her head to get a better look at something but when you turned back to her those golden eyes shot back up to yours.
“I should get going. It’s getting late and my cousin is probably worried." You picked up your phone. "So, should I call you the Lady? Cause that's what Duke calls you.”
The Lady got up from her seat and made her way over to you. She held out her hand. “Alcina Dimitrescu but you may call me Alcina.”
The holding of her soft hand was overshadowed by the familiarity of her name. “Wait a minute, hold on. Alcina Dimitrescu of Four Lords Entertainment, Alcina Dimitrescu?”
"Such a peculiar name. I’m not aware of anyone else with it," she smirked.
Your eyes widened in shock. “Oh my god, you’re the biggest movie producer/director in Hollywood. I’ve seen so many of your movies.” You gasped. “My boss is the Alcina Dimitrescu. Holy shit. Dammit. Now that’s eight dollars in the swear jar.”
“How is it that you’re a fan of my work but you don’t even recognize me?" She pouted, resembling Daniela to a T. "I’m a bit offended.”
“In my defense, I’m more familiar with your work than I am your face. I mean, it’s a gorgeous face- umm…that’s not what I meant.”
“You don’t think I’m beautiful?” Alcina pouted.
“No, I mean yes, I do. You are. Very beautiful. Stunning, even. I just- that’s not what I meant to say." Not out loud, anyways. Alcina’s pout turned into a cheshire grin, and you breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’re fucking with me. Shit. Dammit. Fuck.” You sighed in defeat. “I’m gonna go broke.”
“You have the filthiest mouth I’ve ever met, and I’ve worked on set with an angry Christian Bale.”
“Really? I’m that bad?”
“Worse, actually.”
You breathed out a laugh it was that moment you realized the two of you had been holding hands the entire time. You instinctively brushed your thumb against her knuckles and froze. You looked up at her and she was smiling down at you. Okay, so she wasn’t creeped out. Noted, but, at the end of the day, she was your boss. Yes she was gorgeous. Yes there was a power imbalance. But most importantly, she didn't fraternize with employees. You almost pouted but you thought better of it.
You slowly pulled your hand away. “I’ll see you in the morning, Alcina.”
“7am sharp," she said with a raised brow. “I’ll be at work by 5am and the girls will need dropping off at school. I wish for you to be settled in by the time I get home from work. I am hopeful that I will be home in time for dinner, but I cannot be certain with my current schedule.”
“I’ll put in a good word for you if you are late.”
“You’re much too kind, Y/N.”
You waved goodbye at her and made your way out of the office. You walked into the kitchen and pulled out the money in your pocket and counted sixteen dollars. You stuffed it in the jar and smiled. This was the beginning of a new chapter in your life and for the first time in a long time you had something to look forward to.