CHAPTER 3

Emily Tamara Jacobs

 I gulped, a little bit too loud, my heart hitting my chest at an abnormally fast rate while fearing that he might have heard me gulp. My palms had turned sweaty, and I wiped them on my jeans hurriedly, just as he spoke again.

Wasn't it a bad idea to step into the territory of a rival?

Was I not making a big mistake?

Am I being sensible at the moment?

 “Reece, I don’t think I’d like to repeat myself,” he said, his tone laced with malice. I felt a shiver run down my spine, wondering if that was the same tone he used with everyone he was talking to. “You already know what I want. Get it done with,” he added, before removing the phone from his ear. I could hear the beep sound made by the phone once he clicked the red button. 

 My feet remained rooted to the spot, and my voice seemed to have disappeared, as I just stood there, staring at his back, my heartbeat not refusing to slow down. What the fuck was I doing again?

Oh, Christ! 

 I began mumbling some prayers within myself, the fear not leaving me as I felt my palms turn cold. 

“Are you just gonna stand there and watch me, or you’ll tell me what your name is and what you want?” His icy tone came, which almost made me jump. My heartbeat accelerated, if that was even possible, given the rate at which it was beating in the first place. 

He knew I was in the office?

Of course, he knew. He had asked me to come in.

 I blinked, taking in a deep breath to summon the courage that had left me. I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off. 

 “Name? And what do you want?” he asked, finally turning his chair to face me. My whole body went numb, the blood draining from it as I came face to face with the man who had been talking. William Blakes. 

I knew William. I had seen him a lot of times and had been on his parole once. It was the main reason why all this was a terrible idea. But still, it didn't deter me from not taking the job. I was clear-headed when I chose to sign the contract.

As I stared at him, I felt my blood run cold. I felt numb for a nanosecond. Watching him wasn't the problem. It was the fact that his very dark eyes, his dark orbs that scream danger wouldn't stop staring at me in that hooded way they did. It made my blood run cold over and over again.

 It was at that moment I finally understood what people meant when they said ‘If looks could kill’ because that was exactly what I was experiencing at the moment. 

 There was a cold scowl on his face as his eyes drilled holes into my skin. Just looking at him, I could tell he was a huge man. His shoulders gave it away. The way he sat spoke of elegance. Power. Intimidation. 

 Oh, I was intimidated.

“Well?” he pressed on, clenching both his jaw and fists, as he glared at me with irritation. I was wasting his time. Obviously. 

 “E-Emily,” I choked out. “Emily Jacobs,” I answered, trying my best to keep my voice steady and devoid of anything that sounded like fear. I kept on going. “I applied for the Nanny job, and was asked to start today.” 

 “Alright, then. Have a seat, Emily,” he answered, gesturing to the empty chair in front of me. His eyes remained cold as he accessed my simple outfit. 

 “Thank you, sir,” I replied, taking my seat. He gave me no reply. Not like I was expecting one anyway. 

 His attention went from me to the open laptop right in front of him on the desk. The material of the table seemed like it was made from mahogany. The surface was smooth and shining. It was devoid of any stains, or scratches. Just like the entire office. The whole place screamed ‘money’. These things were darn expensive. 

 The glass walls of his office were just behind the particular place where his table and chair were positioned. The glass walls, tall and alluring, could give anyone watching the nice view of the city we lived in, overlooking multiple skyscrapers and the cars moving around. “You must know that my daughter's name is Suzane, Suzie Blakes,” he began, pausing whatever he was typing on his laptop and intertwining his fingers. 

 “Yes, I do,” I answered with a small nod of my head. She was part of the research I did on him, but of course, I didn’t say that.

 “Good,” he said flatly. “And since you’re gonna be the one taking care of her for the meantime,” he said with a pause. “It would be better if you knew a few things about her,” he completed, holding my gaze. 

What kind of an asshole didn't smile when talking about his daughter? Most fathers I knew always did that.

Certainly him. Only him.

 “Yes, sir,” I answered. He barely glanced at me before relaxing on the chair. 

 “First of all, she is just four. She is not the usual hyperactive kind of kid. She doesn't talk much. She loves to be in her shell. And there is one thing I hate, and that is having you try to pull her out of her shell.” He frowned as if to enunciate his every word.

“Usually, I don't do this but not after what happened the last time with one of your kind. There is one thing that you should know, ” He leaned back in his seat and held my gaze coldly. “If anything happens to my daughter, you will be gone.” He snapped his fingers together to emphasize his final word.

I didn't doubt it. I knew how dangerous he was. I knew he was capable of doing exactly what he had said. It was why I gulped and sat up quietly in response.

“Everything you need to know was in the contract you signed. I'm sure you have your schedule ready if I'm not wrong. You should know what to do at the right time. Also, Suzie is allergic to nuts. Keep anything nuts away from her. Do you get it?” He raised a brow which didn't make him look less scary.

Scary?

No, it's dangerous.

“Yes, sir.” I let out a short squeaky sound as I nodded my head at him. 

“I'm William.” He told me, indirectly asking me to call him by his name. No wonder his workers called him his name.

“Okay, William." I nodded, obligatorily.

 “Good,” he answered, typing away on his laptop again. “You’ll get to know about the other things when we get home,” he added. I nodded.

 Pressing my lips together, I kept quiet, taking in the surroundings of his office once again. There was an Aircon on the wall, which explained the reason why his office felt so chill and smelled of lavender. There were files neatly arranged on his shelf which occupied one part of the room. His table was mostly empty and free save for the file he was working on, his laptop, a stationery case, and his title plate.

 The walls of his office were painted gray and highlighted by purple or lavender streaks, giving it a warm feeling. There was a small bin at the far end of the office. A set of couches overlooking a large-sized plasma TV, a door that I knew led to his resting place amongst other things.

I didn't know how long I sat there staring into thin air or casually glancing at him and acting all immobile. But it was long enough for Gina to make two trips to the office on two different occasions. This was getting uncomfortable.

Suddenly, he shut his laptop and drew his seat backward. The action had me flinching for a second as I was a bit startled. I watched as he grabbed his things which included his jacket and briefcase. I wondered if he was done for the day.

He glanced my way as if trying to tell me to get on my feet. Quickly, I scrambled out of the seat and grabbed my scarf to position it properly around my neck. I had almost forgotten that I brought it along with me.

He began to walk toward the door and I followed behind him immediately. Soon, he stepped out of the office and shut it. He led me back toward the way we had come and soon we were passing by Gina's table.

Gina rose to her feet quickly. She sent her boss a small nod which he acknowledged. Without another word, I watched him lead me to another elevator. It was different from the one that had brought me in. Still, I kept quiet even as he got in first and stood waiting for me.

I blinked and got in with him, making sure to leave ample space between us. Even with the space I had left between us, I could still feel the warmth that radiated from his skin. I furrowed my brows and looked away from him.

When the elevator stopped, he stepped out first and I did next. Where we landed was kind of an open space somewhere. Once I sighted the car that brought me here, I understood perfectly well where we were.

Sal rushed forward toward us and I smiled. He took the briefcase from William and hurried back into the car. Someone else, one I hadn't recognized from anywhere; was a tall huge huge-looking man. His steps and expression gave him the bouncer kind of vibe.

“Boss, " he bowed his head at William who passed him a tight-lipped smile. I said nothing when his eyes darted toward me and he bowed. I bowed quickly too.

“This is Crew, my bodyguard.” William introduced him before slipping into the backseat of the car.

“I'm Emily, " I told Crew and he nodded, smiling at me. His smile made me feel at ease. He looked scary like William but his smile made the muscles on his face relax. I knew William had a bodyguard but I didn't know his name was Crew.

William glared at me and I scurried into the car, a bit embarrassed that he had to do that before I knew I had to get into the car. Crew shut the door before moving toward the front seat to settle down with Sal. Soon, the private panes were drawn and my brows furrowed.

I was going to be alone with him in the car?

My heartbeat picked up pace.

I fiddled with the hem of my top while looking out of the window. The car started moving and I was forced to settle down quietly while trying not to dwell on the fact that the private panes were up.

“You can relax, ” I jumped once I heard his voice. I stopped to spare him a glance just in time to see him on his phone, busy with it. I nodded even though I knew he wasn't looking at me.

But I didn't relax one bit. How could I possibly relax when my brain wouldn't stop spinning the fact that I was in the back of the car alone with him?