Chapter Text
“Come on, now, it’s time to get up.”
“I’m up,” you grunted in response, eyes still closed. You heard footsteps and prayed they were headed out of your room. The voice belonged to Ma who 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 when 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…okay you didn’t have a plan and you never did but you did have a dream to move to California and become the greatest screenplay writer 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 the footsteps. They were moving to the flowered curtain hanging on the window. You squeezed your eyes tighter and threw the blanket over your face.
“Ma, really?”
“You got a job interview today, so I suggest you get your butt up, get washed and dressed and get going.”
You peaked 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 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 and made her way to the door. “Not with your hair all discombobulated like that.”
“You messed it up.”
“Nope. It was already sideways when I came in here. Girl, you shoulda saw the way you was sleeping.”
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 Starbucks and back to your car. 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. Fuck a two-week notice, right?
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 to get you out of the house. It would’ve offended you if you didn’t walk in on her straddling your fathers face. So, you did what any normal person would do when they were desperate to get away from home: You applied for a job at a high-end beauty supply store. Luckily for you your cousin Mel worked there. Unlucky for you, she was off that day.
You glanced up at the clock. It was 2:50 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 tiny apartment that you begged her to stay at until you had enough money to pay for your own. Dipping into your savings was always an option but at the same time it wasn’t. No, that money was for when you finally moved to California.
A short woman with grey hair interrupted your thoughts as she walked over to the counter. You perked up, happy to finally be talking to someone.
“Hello, ma’am, can I interest you in a sample?”
“What’s it called?”
You looked at 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? You could barely see it.”
“I know,” the frail woman leaned closer. “I asked Tommy about that, and you know what he told me?”
You leaned in closer to show 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. You picked up the bottle and sprayed it 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,” 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.
“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 really high.”
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. “Did you get high 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 number two 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.” Tommy sat the box down and slid it over to you.
“Who’s it for?”
Tommy glared at you. “I can’t tell you that.”
You rolled your eyes and watched him walk away.
~~~
You pulled up to a speaker box just outside the 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 house.
“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, umm, house number two.” 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 to a stop. Outside the mansion were two cars, one a black range rover with tinted windows and the other a blue BMW, also with tinted windows. Whoever lived here loved their privacy.
You looked at yourself in the mirror and 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 towering over you. She looked at you up and down. The scrunch of her face made you shift uncomfortably from where you stood.
“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.”
“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. You weighed the package in your hand and when you figured it was light enough you sat it 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 turn it.
“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 figured that was her name. 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 the hairdryer 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. I hope the Lady isn’t on her way.” 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 get going.”
“No,” the man pleaded, getting down on his knees in front of you. “Please, I’ll just tell the Lady you’re the new Nanny I’m pre-interviewing 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 laugh, helping him back to his feet. “Y/N, by the way.”
“Thank you so much, Y/N. The name’s Duke.”
“Where’s the new 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 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 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. She had to order extra this month 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.”
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 think you and I are going to get along just fine.”
“She 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. This was Bela, you figured.
“What did you do to your hair?” Daniela asked.
“It looks horrible.” Cass replied.
“I was trying to go for a new look but halfway through I regretted it and oh my God, mom’s gonna kill me.”
“It was nice knowing you,” Cass said, turning back to the TV.
“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 meat 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?”
“Of course not.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you did.”
“Whatever,” Cass laughed. “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 take care of them.”
“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. You dug into your pocket and put 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 just 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.
“Guys stop it,” Bela said.
“She started it,” Daniela said.
“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 Bella. “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.”
The four of you walked into the salon. The stylist were all black women, and most of the clientele in their chairs were too.
“Ma, we got an emergency.”
Ma turned around from where she sat behind her desk. “Where you get these babies from?”
“I kinda got a new job as a nanny”
“Aww I got grandbabies? Come here and give Nana a hug.” You watched as Ma came over and hugged them, Daniela being more excited to receive one. “Who 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 curls just like hers. All of them had their hair out in natural curls that were beautiful, but it warmed your heart to see them learning about their hair and the different styles they had to 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. They reminded you of the good times you had babysitting as a teenager and it made you smile.
But being stuck in a situation is the opposite of what you wanted, and you couldn’t bare the thought of having to break their hearts one day when you told them you were moving across the country. You had your mind made up. This was a one-day job, and that was that.
A happy Bela walked over to you and her hair was back to its natural blonde hair.
“I feel like a brand-new woman,” Bela smiled. She bent down to you 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 don’t know. I did enjoy 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.”
“Well,” Cass began, “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 to you. “We’ll be alright.” She held out her hand to you. You took it and stood up. “Will you at least stay for dinner?”
“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 the sisters 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 has been very busy lately and it’s been hard on the girls and her. She’s not usually this busy at the beginning of the school year but when duty calls, we 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, 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 that too but more importantly somebody who cares about them. You’ve spent more time with them today than nanny previously has and not once did you ask about money. Also, you strike me as girl 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 be afraid.”
You laughed at that, drying off the last dish and stashing it away where Duke directed you to. 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. 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 for nine months, 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. Our duties will be shared and they include but are not limited to general housekeeping, laundry, taking the girls to and from school, etcetera, etcetera. The Lady will discuss pay with you when she returns. You will also be required to act as the Lady’s personal assistant if she needs you to be it. Oh, she has a very strict rule about fraternizing with co-workers 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 asked.
“I am,” you smiled.
“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. When you walked inside, there was a large bed with a burgundy blanket that reminded you of the curtains at Ma’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 TV plastered to the wall. It was spacious, definitely bigger than your room at Ma’s house and it was almost bigger than Mel’s entire apartment.
“Welcome to your new home. The closet is over there.” Bela pointed to an open door across the room and 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 for 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 peaked your head in further and saw that bottles of wine lined one of the walls.
“So, you like to snoop.” A sultry voice said behind you.
If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve thought it was the voice of an angel which is why she didn’t frighten you. You turned around, curious to see if the voiced matched the quick image that swam into your head of a yall, raven-haired woman. When you did, a tall woman with alabaster skin was towering over you. Check. The second thing was her large hat on her head, but it didn’t cover the third thing you noticed which was 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 was the most beautiful person 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 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 and people who harm children. Never let me believe you are the 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 lips as your mind was flooding with the filthiest thoughts of those fingers exploring the most intimate parts of your body. You shook those thoughts free. 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 resume.”
You took out your phone, found the file and handed the device to the Lady. She motioned for you to sit down on the couch across from her and you obliged.
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.
“So, 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.”
“Are you not familiar with my work?”
“You’re work?”
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 stood up so fast it made you a little dizzy. You made your way over to the Lady’s desk and picked up the paper. 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 my daughter’s well-being.”
“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." Alcina 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 you need the money. It really fucks up your mental health.” 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. Cass was a little rude at first but once you get to know her, she’s a sweetheart. Bela, ugh, she reminds me of me when I was a teenager. I dyed my hair blue and my mother had a fit.”
“Bela died her hair blue?”
You looked down at the lady 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 comfortable with her which was odd because you didn’t know much about the woman, not even her name. You did hop off the desk. The Lady didn’t say anything, but you could’ve sworn there was a hint of sadness in her expression when you moved, but she quickly replaced it with a smile.
“I should get going,” you said picking up your phone. “It’s getting late and my friend is probably worried. Should I call you the Lady?”
The Lady got up from her seat and made her way to you. She held out her hand. “Alcina Dimitrescu but you may call me Alcina.”
The holding of her hand was overshadowed by the familiarity of her name. “Wait a minute, hold on. Alcina Dimitrescu of Four Lords Entertainment, Alcina Dimitrescu?”
Alcina shook her head. “I’m not aware of anyone else with that name.”
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 chuckled in disbelief. “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? Quite frankly, 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 beautiful 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. I just- that’s not what I meant to say. Not out loud, anyways.” Alcina’s pout turned into a laugh, 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 and even if you wanted to, there was no way you could pursue a romantic relationship with her, so you had to keep it strictly professional.
You slowly pulled your hand away. “I’ll see you in the morning, Alcina.”
“7am sharp, I expect,” 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.”
“Oh darling, you’re much too kind.”
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.