4-VIVIENNE

“Okay, this is the last one,” I said, leaving the bunny still sedated inside the incubator where his other five siblings were.

“Excellent work, Vivi. You're quick and meticulous and I appreciate you taking this job,” My boss nodded, removing his gloves. “My previous partner left the country a month ago and I’ve barely slept since then.”

“Well, now you can sleep because I'm not going anywhere,” I replied, sinking into a chair. “I love this place, George. Everything is so shiny and new.”

I sighed with delight as I remembered how happy I felt walking through the front door and seeing what my new workplace would be.

Clean and shiny floors, a reception and a waiting room with comfortable sofas were the first things I saw when I came in.

With two consulting rooms, two ORs with first-rate medical equipment, a fully equipped laboratory, a radiology room, a staff of six qualified nurses and a receptionist who took emergency calls and made appointments for people in town, the place could easily compete against the best clinics in the country.

“That's because it's all new,” He explained, sitting down next to me wearily. “The clinic has only been running for a year and it is all thanks to Jacob.”

“Why?” I asked intrigued.

“Jacob may look tough and indifferent on the outside, but he's a softy on the inside,” He murmured, smiling fondly. “When this place became a shelter and rescued animals started to arrive, most of them were in poor condition. I think Jacob didn't expect to find himself in that kind of situation, you know? He simply believed that The Eden would bring a sense of peace and stability to the animals, but he never thought about the deteriorating health state a dairy cow could have, or how difficult it would be to deal with a calf that was malnourished and on the brink of death because its mother rejected it. He tried to seek professional help in Red Falls, but there was no one who qualified.”

“And then he called you,” I guessed, completely absorbed in the story my boss was telling me.

“Nope. You're wrong,” He said, amused at my confusion. “Silvia, my wife, had taken care of Jacob since he was a baby, and when he grew up and left home, Silvia became the Colemans' housekeeper and when she overheard Jacob's parents talking about the situation the boy was dealing with, she didn’t hesitate to call me to tell me we had to help him.”

“So, Silvia asked you to...”

George's laugh interrupted me.

“Silvia didn't ask me for anything, darling. One day I came home and saw everything had been packed. She told me we should go help our boy make this incredible project a reality, so I called the vet where I worked and quit.”

I gaped at him.

“Just like that?”

“My boss was a shit,” He replied, shrugging like it was nothing. “Jacob instead? I thought the boy would kiss my feet when he saw us arrive, and when he found out we weren't visiting but staying to help? He asked me for a list of everything I’d be needing to treat the animals.”

“I know how much an X-ray machine costs, George. None of the equipment I've seen looks second hand, everything looks brand new in this place.”

“That's because everything is new.” He leaned as if to tell me a secret. “Jacob is an only child and therefore the sole heir to Coleman Corporation. I think he can afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on medical equipment.”

I looked at my boss in shock as I processed all the information obtained in the last few minutes.

My boss' boss was the son of one of the richest men in the country.

While still in his twenties, Jack Coleman took it upon himself to build the most recognized and stable investment bank of America.

Now I understood how Jacob could afford to spend so much money on the best medical equipment.

“I guess it's too late to ask for a better salary now, right?” I said, laughing along with George.

“You’re an imp, Vivienne,” He answered, finally rising. “I'm going to call the Morgan to come pick up the rabbits, I think Taylor and you can go see what your new home will be since today.”

I walked out of the recovery room with George and headed toward the front desk where my boss would make the call from, my eyes drifting to the couch where my daughter lay comfortably reading something on her iPad with Lily sleeping on the floor by her side.

I was one hundred percent sure it was something about biology.

While most kids that age were distracted by video games or TV series, Taylor entertained herself by reading the biographies of her favorite marine biologists.

“Hey babe, did you miss me?” I asked her, lifting her feet to place them on my lap once I was seated. “How has your first day in The Eden been so far?”

“It's amazing, Mom!” My daughter exclaimed, putting the iPad aside, “Kristy took me to the kennel. They have thirty dogs they take care of, Mom. And cats. And there's even an aviary. And I think Lily got a boyfriend because one of the pigs kept following her.”

I made a mental note to spay the pig in a few days. I couldn't afford for her boyfriend to do more than chase her.

Then, the front door opened and my heart did a somersault in my chest as Jacob appeared before us with Rocky, his faithful furry friend at his side.

The man was… He was incredibly handsome.

And the perpetual sternness on his face did nothing to erase so much perfection.

Intense green eyes settled on me as he gave me a slight nod before removing the cowboy hat he was now wearing to walk over to where George stood.

That cowboy hat just added a new set of sexual fantasies to the long list I'd been developing ever since I met the man.

I followed with my gaze as his big fingers got lost in the thick strands of long dirty blond hair that reminded me of a field of wheat.

I let out an involuntary sigh as that big, lean body leaned against the reception hall to have a word with my new boss. That strong, defined jaw moving with every word that fell from his lips.

I had it bad. I’d never been in a position where I wanted to write poetry about a man's body.

I was starting to believe I could fill a notebook with erotic poetry as long as it was about Jacob Coleman’s body. Cause I could be sure that his ass, muscular and pert which reminded me of a juicy tangerine under his Levi’s, would take at least fifty pages of erotic poetry in my imaginary notebook.

I blamed my current lustful state on the long months of sexual abstinence I was going through. This wasn't normal for me, but if Jacob had thought of me as a porn actress, I might as well think of him as my personal gigolo.

A gigolo with a long and thick di …

“Vivienne?”

I jumped startled when I heard his voice so close to me.

At some point, Jacob had stopped talking to George and had walked over to where Taylor and I were and I, being lost in my +18 thoughts, hadn't noticed.

I jumped up when he looked at me questioningly and took my daughter's hand, who was also looking at me confused.

“Hmm? I'm sorry, I guess I'm more tired than I thought,” I said smiling, trying to hide my embarrassment.

“I talked to George. He told me you could take the rest of the day to get settled in your new house. I assumed you hadn't eaten anything since morning, so I asked Silvia to include you in the meal and she prepared a basket of food. Come on, I don't want anything to get cold.”

I grabbed my bag once Taylor put her iPad in, and we both followed Jacob out of the clinic, saying goodbye to Kristy in the process.

A silver pickup truck was parked outside which Jacob walked over to and had Rocky climb into the cab before lifting Lily up and then shutting the door.

“Come on, girls. It only takes a few minutes to walk to the cabin, but the rest of my afternoon is busy and I don't have much time.”

Taylor looked at me puzzled at the cold tone Jacob spoke with, but opened the back door anyway and climbed in.

“I asked the foreman to take your car to your house,” He explained a few minutes later, as we passed his beautiful home and noticed that my car wasn't parked where I'd left it. “I didn't see the point in you driving such a short distance when someone else could. I also asked him to leave both your luggage at the entrance and save you the effort.”

“Hmm, thanks?” I muttered, confused at the treatment I was receiving from him.

The man next to me was not the same one who blushed apologizing over and over again when he mistook me for a porn actress. Nope, in his place was a cold and indifferent guy who spoke to us as if we were perfect strangers to him.

In part we were—we only met a few hours ago—but in the time we talked, Jacob had shown me a different side of his current person.

“Okay, let me help you with Lily,” He said, getting out of the car without further more once it stopped in front of a cozy wooden house. On each side of it, about five feet apart, were two exactly houses alike.

I was able to count at least ten houses of the same style.

“Mommy?”

The confused tone my daughter used didn’t go unnoticed.

“Everything is fine, baby,” I expressed with a big smile on my face, to let her know that everything was actually fine. Although I didn't even know what was happening to the man who was waiting for us on the porch of our new house with his arms crossed over his chest. “Jacob might be hungry. Remember how you get when you haven't eaten.”

That made her mouth curve into a soft smile and she nodded before getting out of the truck.

“The basket with the food is in the kitchen and the house keys will be found on the counter. Although there has never been any kind of robbery at the ranch, you come from the city, so I understand if you feel safer by closing the doors and windows.”

“Thank you very much for everything, Jacob.”

I looked away from my daughter, who had sat on the wooden swing that decorated the house front porch, and looked at him again with a smile.

“When can I see your balcony, Jacob?” My daughter asked, her sweet voice full of enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm that did nothing to change the man’s dry mood.

“I don't think that will happen any time soon, kid,” Was the cold reply he gave Taylor, causing her to get up quickly from the swing to go hug my legs.

“Why don't you go see what Silvia prepared for us, baby? I know you're anxious to see the inside of the house. Go.”

With a slight nod, my daughter pushed past us and ran into the house.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I hissed, letting the asshole in front of me knowing how furious I was.

“Nothing happens to me,” He said, nodding before slowly going down the three steps of the house. “I hope everything is to your liking. The pantry and fridge were stocked with supplies and the bedrooms and bathrooms should have everything you need. I hope tomorrow you start working your established schedule. Have a good day, Mrs. Sweet.”

“Bullshit,” I snapped, moving past him to stand in front of him to let him know my thoughts. “I don't care how you treat me. I don't care if you stop talking to me, Jacob Coleman. But don't you ever talk to my daughter that way again. I can't believe you treat her that way after I told you what she went through at school.”

I noticed the way his eyes filled with remorse.

“I didn't mean to hurt her...”

“But you did,” I cut him off without flinching. “You hurt a seven-year-old girl who only asked you to see the fucking balcony of your house. But don’t worry. I'll try to keep Taylor out of your way in the future. And I hope when you see her, you won’t try to take your problems out on her.”

“Vivienne…”

“You can be my boss and the one who signs my checks from now on,” I said, holding up my hand to silence him. “But for my daughter? I won’t mind to tell you to go fuck yourself, Jacob. So don't do it again.”

And with that, I headed inside the nice house that had been assigned to me and from where I could see my daughter biting a piece of bread.

“Silvia made macaroni & cheese, Mom. But I was waiting for you because I know they’re your favorites.”

“Well, we can share it,” I headed towards the kitchen, trying to leave behind the anger I felt so my daughter wouldn’t worry.

Jacob might be the most beautiful man I've ever seen, but none of that mattered if that was his way of treating the people around him.

At least now I knew what to expect from him in the future.

And the book of erotic poetry I was planning to write, could be forgotten.