TWO

Mary still couldn’t believe her luck. She, Mary Wilberforce was waiting for a Maybach to pick her up and take her to the residence of Adam Scott. The Adam Scott!

   Her heart kept pounding till she felt her breasts were going to pop out from her very low cut crimson sun dress.

   The dress had been Taylor’s idea, but Coleman had paid for a complete make over for her. She had been taken to an expensive salon for her hair, got a whole new wardrobe of clothes, the Daily Trust had even paid for spa treatment for her. According to Coleman, the filthy rich only respected the rich, and Adonis wouldn’t even give Mary the time of day if she ran over to his house looking like a gutter rat – yep! That’s what he thought of her looks.

    A grey haired but agile looking gentleman with a tuxedo Mary was sure cost her entire salary for a year walked up to her to let her know her ride had arrived, and Mary strutted off, trying her best to look rich and efficient. She did feel rich – just not so efficient.

    Mary was not going to Tribeca to interview Adonis as she had planned, she was going to work as his grandmother’s nanny – and to spy on him.

    Coleman believed it would be futile for her to join the long list of interviewers who had failed to get Adonis to answer their questions. Instead, he had another idea. According to him, it would be easier for her to get a job as the nanny of his grandmother, Emma Swansea, penetrate his household, steal vital information, and come back and make an article about him.

    Mary didn’t care either way. All she knew was that she was going to meet Adonis in person – she had to didn’t she? She could not work so closely with his grandmother and not meet with him.

     Adonis’ house was far more magnificent than she thought it would be. The drive in alone was so lengthy that she felt she was in an entire government reserved area. Was this what it felt to be rich! Mary took it all in. The exotic trees and carvings, the really fresh air, the animals that seemed to wander freely about, until the car finally pulled up to the main building a d she was ushered into a waiting room.

    “Mr. Adonis would be with you shortly.” The Chauffeur said, jarring her from her thoughts, and Mary immediately felt she was not ready to speak with him – to see him yet.

   Her breath quickened, and Mary was alarmed to feel her face burn with a blush. She found she could not draw in enough air, and she felt the sudden urge to turn from the room and run. Then the door opened. Mary ran.

    The first thing Adonis saw as he opened the door into his waiting room to inspect his grandmother’s new maid was breasts. The lady they had brought for him was young, no more than a teenager, and extremely beautiful.

   He had seen beautiful women in the past, slept with tons of them, but non of them rivaled the beauty standing before him in a very slutty and inappropriate red dress.

    There was something about her beauty that challenged societal standards. Her breasts which now pumped out of her dress was a bit too small to suit the fantasies of men, and her hair was just too full, too wild to be tamed by a celebrity hairstylist, but there was something simply undeniable about her beauty – her loveliness.

    She looked like an innocent fawn, untouched and beautiful in it’s nubile wildness. Her wild hair, already free of the hairdresser’s constraints framed a tiny heart shaped face that was dominated by the widest, unusual grey eyes he had ever seen. Those grey eyes were clouded now with an emotion he couldn’t tell – fear maybe. Before he could say anything, she turned and fled. Into his room.

   Mary did not know why she ran, she only knew that she could not bare to stand in the presence of such a powerful man as Adonis Scott. She could not bare to look into those blue eyes she had only been accustomed to looking at in pictures. What if he took one simple look at her, and saw her innermost shameful desires. No. She could not risk it.

   She was still running, her eyes blinded by her troubled emotions, when she felt strong hand encircle her waist, holding her close to a masculine body, so that his warmth seeped through her thin clothes to sear her already burning flesh.

    She felt his breath on her before he spoke, and it awakened something very primal at the lower part of her belly, Mary was ashamed to hear herself moan.

   “It is only thieves that run from the owner of the house my lovely little one. Have you been stealing from me?”

    Stealing . . . he said something about stealing. Mary tried to concentrate. It would be a very huge offense if she stole from someone as powerful as the man who now held her. His other hand was on her lower leg, and slowly, painfully gently, he inched his fingers up till his hand encircled her upper leg in a way no man had ever held her before. Mary drew in a shaky breath that ended in another moan. Then he pinched her, his fingers encircling the spot, bringing comfort where they had brought pain.

   When Mary thought she would not be able to take it anymore, the billionaire she had been sent to spy on suddenly let go of her. She spun around, her hair tousled, her full generous lips parted slightly, so that she could draw in ragged breaths, and then she looked at him, the breath stilled in her throat.

    He was even more handsome in person. So painfully exquisite, it felt like a sin to merely look at his face, but try as she might, Mary could not bring herself to look away. It was like she was under a spell, and the magic of his magnetism was drawing her in, keeping her spell bound.

   His hair was not as neat and put together as it usually was in the pictures, instead it looked tousled, like a woman had just ran her hand through it, while being kissed so passionately by him. His brows were full, but not bushy. Perfectly arched, like they had been sculptured by Michael Angelo.

   His eyes, narrow, framed by thick dark lashes, where the deepest shade of midnight blue she had ever seen, and while looking at them in pictures had been a breath taking experience, staring into them life left her completely breathless.

    His generous lower lip curved up in a smile that was more of a smirk. “I believe we have not been formally introduced before Ma’am. I’m Adonis Scott, and this is my home.”

   He extended a hand, and when she took it, he brought her hand to his lips, and turning it ever so slightly, he placed a kiss at the insides of her wrist, watching her shudder slightly.

    “I’m Mary Wilberforce.” Her voice was a breathless whisper.

    “Ah! Mary Wilberforce.” His eyes accessed her. He inclined his head. “You don’t look the type.”

    “I’m sorry what type?” She asked, snatching her hand from his, suddenly alarmed.

   He straightened, and Mary noticed for the first time how intimidating he was. There was nothing of the handsome charm about him now, only the ruthlessness that made him a billionaire. “You don’t look like you are experienced enough to take care of my grand mother – Fisher sent you in?”

    “Ah –” Mary stared blankly. Confused. Who the hell was Fisher! Then it struck her. Fisher was the man that was Mr. Coleman’s contact. It was James Fisher who had gotten her the job. She nodded.

    “And how old are you?”

    “Twenty” she said it too fast, but it wasn’t such a blatant lie. She would be twenty in her next birthday – only her birthday was not till the next eleven months.

   “Twenty.” A hand brushed his chin. “That’s way too young. Have you had any experience care giving before?”

   “Ah. . . I have I. . .” Mary stammered as she felt tears threaten at her eyes. Was this how she was going to lose such an opportunity of a lifetime because she hadn’t comported herself enough to come up with a believable story.

    Adonis stared at the young lady in front of him. If she was really twenty, she was barely a day older. She obviously didn’t have enough years of experience working as a care giver, but one thing stopped him from sending her packing immediately, and firing James Fisher for bringing one so inexperienced to take care of his grandmother. Her eyes were welling up with unshed tears, and her cherry bottom lip trembled. There was something about her that was so unguarded, so carefree, she reminded him of a wild flower blooming in the morning sun.

   Maybe, this inexperienced child would succeed where his grandmother’s former tight lipped middle aged women had failed – most of them had not lasted up to a week.

   Adonis nodded. “If you are going to work for Emma, you must understand that she can be very difficult at times. She would test you, try to see how much of your limits she can push, for every inch you give her, she would demand another. You must be firm and precise with her.”

   Mary nodded, a smile breaking on her lips, showing her shallow dimples, as the tears fled her eyes. “Thank you very much Adonis – I mean Mr. Scott – Mr. ad –”

   He dismissed her gratitude. “There’s no need to thank me Mary. I am not doing you a favor. This job is probably going to be the toughest thing you’ve ever done in your life. I expect you to give up before the week is over.”

   In her life! For some reason, Mary felt insulted. She had been too busy swooning over the handsome billionaire that she had let down her guard. She raised her chin. “I don’t think so Adonis. Unlike you, I’ve had a pretty rough life. I have had to work to earn my place. It may come as a shock to someone as entitled as you, but if I show up for a job, then I’m up to the task.”

   A shadow passed over his features, and Mary wondered what had possessed her to talk like that to her new boss. Her mouth was what cost her her former job in the first place – but she could not take back her words. Adonis frowned, but then his lips curled up in a smile that belied the expression in his eyes.

   “Ah! You have a sharp mouth. I like that. Save it for Emma, not me.” He stepped closer, and with one hand curled around her waist, he pulled her to him, gently, and yet firmly, so that Mary did not realize what was happening until she felt her body held against his rock hard flesh.

    Unable to look into his eyes, Mary buried her head against his chest. Her fingers yearned to touch him, to explore just how hard those muscles were, but deep within. She felt a shame that she could not yet explain, so she hid her face from him, burying it further in his chest.

    A gentle finger lifted her chin so she could stare into his fathomless midnight blues again, then when she could no longer bare how breathless they made her feel, she dropped them to his lips – to his generous full lower lip. He brought them down to hers, and Mary closed her eyes, surrendering herself to the anticipation of the sweetest feeling she had ever known, but instead Adonis let go of her waist and stepped back.

    “See that you don’t wear this dress again Mon Amie.” With that, he turned and was gone, leaving Mary breathless and day dreaming about the feel of his lips against hers.