Ripley’s pov
Dropping the girls off at daycare went surprisingly better than suspected. Maybe it was all the toys, or maybe they weren’t fully awake yet.I know, I am not. This job starts early, and I could barely sleep last night.Although this job was good news—a chance at a new start for me and the girls—I was still really nervous. All night, I prepared for every possibility in my head. It was something that I had always done, but it became worse once I had kids.Every scenario and every thing that could possibly go wrong had entered my mind. I had countless conversations with people that didn’t even exist. Conversations about my girls, my late husband, and my life in general. Things that would probably not even come up. Yet, I had practiced every response to every stupid question I could think of.I yawned behind my hand as I walked towards Allison. I had already gotten dressed in the uniform she had laid out for me.It wasn’t a classic black-and-white uniform like in the movie. But an outfit that looked more like hospital scrubs or a pajama. Black pants and a gray short-sleeved top, with black buttons and a black collar.She chuckled, “you’ll get used to it. So, I’ll give a brief summary of the job description before I’ll show you around. The other girls are on their way, but I thought it would be better if both of us started early. So I had time to explain things.”“So usually it’s not quiet as early?” I asked playfully.“Fifteen minutes, give or take.” Allison replied with a sweet smile. She walked toward a closet and opened it. “Here are all the carts kept. You take one and fill it with whatever you think you’ll need. Cleaning supplies, clean towels, and trash bags. It’s already filled, but it’s always good to check your supplies just in case.”I nodded my head in understanding as she explained the rest. “We have a lot of guests here that are on business. We tidy up their rooms and change the sheets and towels during breakfast time. Most people here have an early breakfast. Breakfast starts at six and ends at ten. Then, for those guests that check out, we usually handle those rooms during lunch. And then, we’re done for the day.”I got the cart, and Allison showed me everything inside. "Unfortunately, you don’t get a lot of time for each room. So focus on the things that matter. A clean toilet, a well-made bed, clean surfaces, clean mirrors, and make sure the trash is taken out. And do not move or touch the guests stuff, because they’re really sensitive about that. Understandably so.”“Okay, understood.” I replied, making a mental note of everything Allison said.“I assign each floor to a set of cleaning girls, and you often stick with that floor for as long as you work here. For some reason, my girls have started seeing some floors better than others, especially the top floors. The higher you are, the more expensive the rooms are. There’s a bit of a status surrounding the floor you work on. I've tried to nip it in the bud, but let me know when anyone mocks the floor you are on. You’ll start on the second floor. There are a few conference rooms here, too. You replace the trash bags, vacuum, and clean all the surfaces.”I didn’t care at all which floor I needed to work on. But I did find it silly that people who worked here would have a pecking order based on the rooms they cleaned. It’s not like we were staying in these rooms ourselves.And even then, money doesn’t make a man. Character does.Although I wouldn’t mind having some more money at the moment.“So, are you ready to get to work?” Allison asked, and I put my enthusiastic face on.“Yes!”Allison helped me clean the first two rooms and then let me try to clean the rest myself while staying close until she was called away.I was almost done when I noticed the supply of towels was running low. The cleaning staff had their own elevators down to the basement, where the supplies were being kept, so I headed that way.“Mr. Hemming. Are you sure you don’t need us to tidy up your room?” A woman in the same outfit as me asked the rude man I had met yesterday. Her blond hair was up in a tight ponytail, and she had on a full face of make-up. The shirt suited her better than mine, though. She had opened up some buttons, and her breasts had been pushed up as high as they could go.Good for her. I wasn’t blessed with big boobs, unfortunately. The only time I had big boobs was when I was pregnant and breastfeeding. And while they looked beautiful, they were also heavy and got in the way. So maybe I was the lucky one with my cup B.And make-up wasn’t even on my mind this early in the morning. I was lucky I was here on time with both my girls dressed. I had barely managed to brush my teeth and wash my face.Shit. I had stopped too long to look at them because both the woman and Mr. Hemming were now glaring at me. I bowed my head and kept walking.“She’s new. Ignore her.” The woman said. “But I helped tidy your room really well last time, didn’t I?”Why did it sound like the woman had done something more than tidy up?I pressed the button on the personal elevator, only to realize that I had forgotten the code.Shit. Now I had to ask the woman. Turning around, I tried my best to smile. “Excuse me.”“What?” the woman said, looking at me like I was filth beneath her shoe.“I forgot the code.” I clarified.She rolled her eyes and told me the code for the elevator.“She’s probably just jealous,” she told Mr. Hemming. “Poor girl has to work the second floor while I am lucky enough to serve you.”Yes, definitely something more than cleaning was going on here. I scoffed, loud enough for them to hear. “Thank you for your help.” I said, using my sweetest voice. “Bitch,” I said softly to myself.Seriously, how desperate could you be to throw yourself at a guest of the hotel you worked at? The funny part was that Mr. Hemming just stood there with the same expression on his face I had seen him with both times I met him. A scowl. I would call it stoic, but it looked more like he was permanently angry or disgusted. His strong eyebrows furrowed, and a frown fell on his face. His beard only made him look more stern.Could he smile, or was his face stuck like that? I wondered to myself.After finishing the last two rooms, I went to the conference rooms on the floor. There were two, and while Allison was still busy, I figured they wouldn’t be hard to clean. Vacuum, clean surfaces, and take out the trash. I could do that. Show some initiative.Through the glass windows of the room, I could see it was empty, so I pushed my cart inside and started to clean. I put in my wireless headphones so I could listen to music. Music makes cleaning so much more fun. The sound was on low, so I could still hear it if someone spoke to me.I vacuumed quickly, then started cleaning the large desk and placing everything back where it belonged.Swaying my hips back and forth to the music as I walked to the trashcan to take the bag out.“I need the room.” A loud and low voice said, startling me.I dropped the bag of trash, the contents spilling on the floor. Shit!“I will get that and be out of your way.” I said, quickly grabbing everything that had fallen on the floor. Thankfully, it was mostly paper napkins, old teabags, and cookie wrappers.“Now!” the man almost growled. I looked up to see the familiar scowl.I bent down to grab the last napkin and felt two hands on my hips, pulling me up from the floor like I was a child that weighed nothing. “Are you deaf?” He asked me, sounding annoyed.He held me in the air before putting me down near the door, his hands still on my hips.I looked over my shoulder and glared at the man, “no. I heard you, and I am done. Unhand me, please.”“You should really learn to listen to what you’re told.” Mr. Hemming said, taking his warm and strong hands off my hips. Too bad he was such an ass. I hadn’t been touched by a man in a long time, and I hated that my body had a reaction to him.“I’m working.” I said, raising my eyebrow as I looked Mr. Hemming straight in the eyes.“Well, I am trying to work too. But somehow, you are in my way. For the third time in two days. I’ll tell you what I told your colleague Heather: I am here for business, not pleasure.”O my god! This man actually thought this was my pathetic attempt to get his attention. Did I look that desperate that I would throw myself at the first rich man that I ran into? God, what an arrogant ass.I shrugged my shoulders. “I apologize, Mr. Hemming. For bumping into you yesterday and now, cleaning this room while you need it. But like you, I am strictly here to earn some money. I will get out of your way, and I would appreciate it if you would refrain from touching me.”Mr. Hemming smirked, and it was the closest he got to a smile. He actually looked good when he smiled. “Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t need to force myself on some desperate cleaning girl.”I scoffed and couldn’t help myself. I had tried to be polite, but this man wouldn’t stop. “wow. I'm married, and not desperate for your attention at all. Did the inflated ego come with the expensive suit or did you have to pay extra?”Mr. Hemming raised his eyebrow before his scowl returned. “Leave.”“Gladly.” I said, picking up the trashcan and grabbing my cart.The moment I stepped out of the conference room, I realized what I had done. If Mr. Hemming said anything to Allison, I would be fired on the spot. I had been so dumb! I should have just swallowed my pride and not talked back.Who cares if this man thought I was throwing myself at him? He was nobody to me. Some rich guy that I didn’t even know.I should have let it go!Shit! I couldn’t risk this. This was my chance to fix things.There were only thirty minutes left, and I spent those thirty minutes picturing every way Allison would fire me. When I walked back down to end my shift, Allison was there to meet me, but instead of looking angry, she had a smile on her face.“You did a great job today. Mr. Hemming even thanked me personally for the great job you did in the conference room. What a great initiative you showed today. I think you’ll fit in perfectly here.”There were a few more girls around me and a few head turns when she mentioned Mr. Hemming. Especially the head of the blond girl with the big boobs, Heather, as Mr. Hemming had called her.She glared at me and whispered something to one of the other girls, which earned her some laughs. I wasn't sure if I would fit in, but I was just happy my behavior didn't cause me to lose the job.I smiled at Allison, “thank you so much. I’m really grateful to be here.”Especially after almost ruining things because of some rich guy, I added inside my head.But why did Mr. Hemming tell Allison I did a good job instead of the opposite and make sure I was fired?Cas’ pov Married? Yeah, right. That woman looked barely older than twenty. And she had been eyeing me all fucking day. No way she was married. She was a handful, though. It had been a while since someone had spoken to me the way she did. Normally, I would have made sure she was fired on the spot, but she intrigued me. There wasn’t really anything special about her. She didn’t have big boobs or a great body. Her ass looked all right when she was picking up the trash, but other than that, the cleaner was pretty basic. Short brown hair, while I preferred long blonds. Brown eyes and little to no make-up on. Her hair was all over the place, like she didn’t give a fuck how she looked. Maybe that’s why she intrigued me. Because she didn’t care. Every woman and man cares who I am. I am Cassius fucking Hemming, the richest man in town. The guy who owns most of the buildings in this damn city. It’s hard to tell who actually wants to get to know me or who wants my money. That’s why I usua
Ripley’s pov“Heather will be training you this morning because Mr. Hemming has requested your services today.” Allison told me, first thing when I arrived.She looked so proud, while I felt mortified. It was my second day, and I knew that there was no way in hell that Mr. Hemming had good intentions in asking me to work in his room.That man had only shown arrogance and irritation around me. Besides, I was nobody to him. So what was his deal?Heather rolled her eyes at me and put an obvious fake smile on her face. “I’ll show you how everything is done.”Okay. Does that mean she’s going to purposefully tell me the wrong way to do things? Because it sure feels like it.Maybe I’m just not as trustworthy as I used to be, but it was clear that Heather wasn’t happy I was taking her job over. Which she proved in the elevator going up to the penthouse.Heather came into my personal space, standing way too close for my comfort, and scoffed at me.“I don’t know what you did, but this won’t las
Cas’ pov Fuck! Shit! What a fucking mess! The whole point of asking Ripley to come here was to annoy her. And now I was the one who was annoyed. Not just annoyed. Frustrated. No, fucking pissed off! How dare she reject me? How dare she get into my head? The way she says my name. Fucking hell. I didn’t even think; I just told her to call me Cas. Nobody calls me Cas. One of my favorite nannies used to call me that, but other than that, everyone calls me Cassius or Mr. Hemming. She didn't even realize the significance of my allowing her to call me that. It was like I had no effect on her at all. But she had a fucking effect on me, that's for sure. Even if I didn't want to admit it, Ripley was getting to me. Crawling on all fours, bending over the bed like that. Smelling so damn good and looking at me with those eyes that were just begging me to kiss her. Did she not realize she was teasing me? Was I a stupid game to her? I scoffed. That was my plan. To play a dumb game before get
Ripley’s pov I sat on a bench in the sun. It wasn’t as warm out anymore, but when the sun was shining, it was pretty nice. It was needed, this break. To clear my head, to rest. It wouldn’t work if I was down in the basement with the rest of the cleaners. All that I needed was to watch a video of my girls and feel the sun on my face, and I would be able to handle the rest of the day. It wasn’t like I needed to go back to Cas’ penthouse suite. He told me I was done, so the few hours I had left could be spent cleaning the rooms of the guest who had left today. I giggled as I watched Rose and River act silly. God, how I loved it when they acted silly. My in-laws wanted my girls to always behave, but that’s not how three-year-olds act. They dance, they make silly faces, they have tantrums, and sometimes they go into a fit of laughter for no real reason. They’re brutally honest yet loyal. I love this age, even if it comes with tantrums at times. They’re three. I mean. They’re not allowe
Cas’ pov What the fuck was I doing? I asked myself as I stepped into the cold shower. Was I actually turned on by how angry Ripley got? Looking at the size of my dick right now, I would say yes. I scoffed. Small dick…. When she finally said yes, she’d see that this was more than she was used to. Maybe her dead husband had a third leg, though; who knows? She didn’t seem too upset about his death, though. But who the fuck cares about that? She lied and then yelled at me! Nobody lies to me. If there’s one thing I truly hate, it’s a liar. Ripley’s insulting me was the first time in a long time anyone had the nerve to say anything bad to me. It was kind of exciting, if it wasn’t infuriating at the same time. I could see she liked me. She kept checking me out. And yes, I might be cocky, but I’ve been around enough women to know when someone is into me. And Ripley is into me. So why play hard to get it? Why act like she doesn’t want to sleep with me? I put my head against the cold sh
Ripley's povAfter Cas told me to dress nice, I headed to Allison for help. I didn’t tell her who I was meeting but that I needed to wear something fancy for an unexpected meeting during lunch.Which earned me more questions than I wanted to answer. But I wasn’t sure I could tell her the truth.In the end, I told Allison it had to do with my late husband’s estate. As soon as I mentioned my dead husband, people stopped asking questions.Maybe they were scared I would cry in public, and nobody wants a public scene. Or they felt bad for me.Either way, Allison stopped asking questions and was a great help in finding something to wear.Long story short, Allison took me to the lost and found, where we found the dress I was currently wearing. As long as I returned it, Allison didn’t see it as a problem that I took a long lunch break.“You’ve been here three days, and you’ve already won over our most important guest.” She had said.“And the grumpiest,” I joked.Once I read the contract Cas ha
Cas’ pov “Sorry. Sorry. I mean, you kissed me, and that was wrong. But it’s really bad hitting you. Shit. Sorry. Really!” Ripley said, surprising me. She stared at her hand and then my face, as if she had done it without thinking. Her fingers reached out, and I wondered if she wanted to see if I was okay, but Ripley quickly pulled back. “It’s been a while since someone got a slap or punch in,” I countered, rubbing my cheek. Making sure to make it look like it hurt. But her little slap was nothing compared to some of the violence I endured. I had made myself strong and made sure nobody was able to hurt me. Every day, I trained, not just to look good but to make sure I would be able to defend myself against anything. The feeling of helplessness I had felt as a kid was something I never wanted to feel again. “I’m sure I am not the first woman to slap you.” Ripley said, raising an eyebrow. “This makes your apology a lot less believable.” She shook her head, “no, I don’t mean it lik
Cas' pov “Maybe we should use that list of of topics to discuss during a date,” Ripley joked nervously. “Considering I’ve barely been on any dates and you, um, how do I put this?” “Usually skip dinner and go straight for dessert?" I replied. “I’ve heard I am somewhat of a man whore.” “Yeah, sorry about that.” “Well, the whore part would indicate I get paid, and usually the women get more out of it money-wise than I do.” Ripley leaned forward, her breasts catching my eye. The low neckline was the reason I picked this dress, and it did not disappoint. It was better she didn’t know this dress cost three times as much as the earrings. I had no fucking clue about dresses, but I had an assistant pick out a selection for me to choose from, and this one from Robert Cavalli caught my eye. It was simple, yet irresistible. A little like Ripley right now. Open back with small straps made of black silk that fell perfectly between her breasts. Fuck, it was perfect. Plus, it had a slit on the
Cassius pov“You’re so fucking beautiful.”“Language, dad.” Rose scolded me.I rolled my eyes, “you know what I mean. You are the perfect bride, Raven.”Seeing my youngest daughter get married reminded me of my own wedding. Ripley and I had wanted to do a quick wedding with just the three of us, not knowing at the time she was already pregnant with our middle child, Rayne.After we went to Malachi’s and Kennedy’s wedding, Ripley had wanted to get married in Europe too. But instead of France, she chose Greece.Even now, twenty plus years later, I can still remember how fucking gorgeous the country was. The white building, the blue ocean, my perfect bride in her summer dress.It was simple, but it suited us both. I didn’t need a big fucking wedding. I just needed my girls there. Rose and River wore matching dresses; they were so fucking cute. We had done the official part at home, at city hall. Ripley had asked two of the hotel staff to be our witnesses—two people who were now friends.T
Malachi’s povShe smelled and tasted even better than I remembered. I loved seeing that bump above me as I ate her pussy out. I kept my promise; I made her cum every time she told me she loved me.By the end of it, she didn't seem shy about it any longer; all the awkwardness between us was gone.She loves me, and I love her. And I intend to show her in every way possible.Once her legs felt putty and she couldn't move, I carried her to her room.“This is going to be our room now.” I stated, and she smiled at me.“Can you go inside the closet and grab that little bag for me?” she asked.I did what my woman asked me to do, looking for a small bag. I suspected it was my ring but didn’t want to assume.Once I found the bag, I handed it to her, and she took out a little box."Malachi Ford, you're nothing like what I ever imagined my husband would be like, but exactly what I need. You’re a sweetheart; you love to dance and sing, and your fashion sense is growing on me.”I chuckled at her wor
Kennedy’s povLong story short, I heard everything. Yeah, it’s an invasion of fucking privacy, blablabla. It’s my home! If I want to watch the security cameras for a bit, just to make sure everything is okay, then I can.I mean, it wasn’t like I was spying on them.Okay, I sort of was, but who cares?Malachi loves me. He said so twice now, so it’s like a fact at this point.And if he does get upset I eavesdropped, then he should also get angry at Leon, because that sneaky little man must have overheard my call with Cassius and Ripley.Yes. I talked to them. Of all people.But it wasn’t even about Malachi. They called me to see how everything was going after Juliette’s death and offered their sympathies. It was just a normal conversation until the fucker, Cassius, of course, started annoying me.He asked about the wedding and a bunch of other shit, that doesn’t seem really important right now. And then he started teasing me, like a fucking child.Ripley tried to stop him, well, sort of;
Malachi’s povHow do I even start?I wish I could put this off. I wish I could just wait a bit, but we have to go to France so Leon can say goodbye if he wants to. I read everything I could online about young children and death, and they all suggest letting the kids have a choice.Both the funeral and her burial will take place there.I can’t let my own feelings get in the way. I am angry; I’m sad. I’m so many things, but none of them are important right now.Is that what it’s like to be a parent? Putting someone else first, always? I respect momma in a whole new way.Every time I asked about my dad, did she hurt as well? She never showed it.“Papa?” Leon said, looking at me with big eyes.He’s so beautiful. Such an amazing kid.I swallowed, trying to keep my voice from breaking.Things were awkward between me and Kennedy because we almost kissed. But she was still here, her hand on my shoulder, trying to keep me sane.She’s a good woman. A good mother. And I am lucky to have her here.
Malachi’s pov“Do you believe in god?”Kennedy sighed. Our morning did not get off to a good start. I may or may not have assumed she had told Leon when I saw her holding him and crying.Thankfully I didn’t just yell out something stupid, but the damage was done anyway.The rest of the day had been awkward, and I still had not told Leon about his mother’s death.It surprised me that Kennedy stayed behind after our fight. She could have left. Leon wasn’t her responsibility, and she’s supposed to go to work. But she didn’t.Instead, she worked from home.Leon was now taking a nap, and Kennedy had just ordered lunch, so I thought it was a safe moment to talk to her. Guess I was wrong.“Why?”“I don’t know. Just... do you believe in God?" I asked again.“I’m a Republican; of course I believe in God." Kennedy replied stoically.I don't think that's how it works, but okay.."So you go to church, pray, and all that?"She rolled her eyes, “that’s too much. I just believe in God. And I donate t
Kennedy’s pov“I’m sorry,” I muttered.“What?” Ripley asked.“Don’t make me repeat it, please. You heard me.”Ripley giggled, “you’re sorry for what?”“I don’t fucking know. Everything? I was a bitch to you. I didn’t even want Cassius the way you want him. I never loved the man. It was a pride thing. And I don’t like people messing with my plans. And you messed with my plans a whole fu- shit, how does Cassius not curse around these kids?”Ripley shrugged, “he tries. It doesn’t always work. But you were saying?”“Yeah, you messed with my plans. Threw everything in the trash, actually. Kind of ruined everything we had planned, and even when I tried to fight back, somehow you still came out on top.”“Not every time. I was really miserable, and some of the things you did had a major effect on my and the girls’ lives.”I sighed, fuck… Why isn’t sorry enough? Why do I have to explain myself or whatever.“Look, I can go into a whole thing and explain my reasons. But we both know they were pre
Cassius pov“Um, so, fuck it. Do you want to come over so the girls can play with Leon?” Kennedy’s voice asked me on the other end of the phone.I should have never answered the phone when I saw her name pop up on the caller ID. We were having a relaxing day, the girls were almost ready to take a nap, which meant afternoon sex for me and Ripley while they slept.The naps could last for an hour or sometimes only twenty minutes, but it made things exciting, not knowing how much time we had to spend. And a quicky is still sex.Before I could say no, Ley took the phone from my fucking hands. Sneaky girl.“We’d love to; the girls can nap on the way over.”And now we weren’t having our afternoon sexy time? Hell to the fucking no.But Ripley had said goodbye to Kennedy and handed me back the phone. “Stop pouting, Cas. I’ll make it up to you tonight.”“You better…” I teased my fiancé.She rolled her eyes, “or what?”“Oh, you’ll see…” I winked at her with my smirk that she loved to hate.Ley ig
Malachi’s povShe looked damn good. I had imagined what Kennedy would look like when she was pregnant, but this was beyond my imagination.She looked beautiful and hot. The thought that this woman is carrying my baby is sexy as hell, but I can’t let her see it.Especially not after she disappeared for no good reason.We had talked for those two weeks. It wasn’t like she went no-contact. She just never mentioned she was out of the country.I was dealing with a lot myself, so when she said she didn’t have time for a date, I didn’t really care.Okay, that was a lie. I had grown to enjoy our dates. For someone who acts like she doesn’t care about anyone but herself, she is a very good listener. And she gives pretty good advice too, although a bit cold.But when you’re dealing with death, childcare, a wedding, and a bunch of other stuff, it’s nice to have someone who doesn’t get stressed out. She is calm, mostly because she buries everything. Which isn’t healthy at all. But that’s an issue
Kennedy“So you really don’t see anything wrong with what you did?” Malachi asked over the phone.How could I explain the need to leave for two weeks without giving much of an explanation.Should I just tell them the complete list of shit I am dealing with right now?First of fucking all, I am having a boy. Hooray! But no.Seriously…. My entire fucking life, I had known I would get a girl that would be just like me. It was already a thing to realize that I’d be having a mixed-race girl. Not because they’re not beautiful and pretty—I mean, they’re arguably more pretty—but because it means my daughter will not be a perfect copy.Yeah, now that I am saying it out loud. Or, thinking about it, I realize how crazy that sounds.So I will not be telling Malachi any of that.We found out that we’re having a boy, and his mother was there too. She’s a lovely lady, I guess. Very intimating, but I respect that in a woman. No bullshit attitude.She gave me some speech on how I should treat her son r