I breathed out as I hurriedly tried to make coffee, no cream, for the graying old man standing impatiently across the counter. Sweat trickled down my back as his glare turned harsher.
He muttered out a "Finally" when I passed the plastic cup to him before slamming his money on the counter. I gave him his change, and he rushed out like the cafe was on fire.
This was a normal Monday morning in the cafe for me.
Delilah snorted, and I turned to look at her. "You have the friendliest customers." She deadpanned, trying so hard not to laugh at the whole scene. "He seemed like such a sweet soul, that one."
"They can be really intimidating. I got anxiety alone from trying to make his coffee." I chuckled nervously.
"All back. No cream." Delilah said mockingly, imitating his grating voice, and I laughed. She wiped off the syrup on the corner of her lips. "Your waffles taste so good, by the way. You need to open up your own cafe."
"Did Josh let you come to the shady part of the town all by yourself? And with your present condition?" I asked, brushing off her last sentence.
Delilah was 3 months pregnant, years after hoping and praying for one and ever since she took in Josh has been really protective over her, never letting her out of his sight and always putting a watchdog on her when he wasn't with her.
So, I was really surprised to find no one trailing behind her when she walked into the cafe.
"You know me," Delilah smirked. "I needed to see Estelle. She still as chubby as ever?" She gleed.
I nodded my head, and my mind went back to the stranger from last week. I didn't know how to ask Delilah if she had seen him too. I mean, I wasn't going to just randomly ask if she had seen a group of god-looking billionaires strutting around town with their custom edition Patek watches and custom made, tailored-to-fit-their muscles, suits that could buy the small cozy cafe we were seated in.
I asked subtly. "Have you by any chance noticed new faces uptown?" I sneaked a glance her way, watching as she slurped on her glass of orange juice.
"Hmmmm, not really. Although, Josh mentioned something about a few investors trooping in for the old security company. Apparently, Dr Jones is keen on selling his old security firm and moving out of the town for good this time around and a few buyers from New York will be here for a few months to check it out, and complete the whole buying process." Delilah responded. "Have you seen any new faces yet? I hope they're sexy, so you can snag yourself some New York dick." She grinned.
"You're delusional." I laughed, moving right to pick a towel so I could wipe the counter between us even though I had cleaned it twice before then.
Delilah giggled. "More like dick-lusional. Jokes aside, though, how does your vagina feel? I have a feeling she wails and cries with each passing time. Don't you think a little smexy time is long overdue?"
"I don't need a man in my life right now, Dee. You know this. After Adrian, I think my vagina knows the best thing to do is to avoid men right now," I wiped harder with my head down to avoid looking into her eyes.
Delilah placed a hand on mine and my whole body stilled at the contact. I swallowed before raising my head to look into her eyes.
"Look, I'm not asking you to get a man or get into another shitty relationship. All I need you to do is live a little. You turn into a shadow of yourself the more I see you and, to be honest? No man should have that power over you. You had the worst relationship with the biggest scum bag of the earth and it broke you, I completely understand that. But, baby, you are hands down one of the most gorgeous ladies I have ever seen. With those curves and the sexy aura you have going on?" She clutched my hands tighter. "Honey, you deserve so much better. You can't keep working in this little cafe forever. You are more smart and talented than you think. So, I'm going to need you to stop wallowing and pick up your broken pieces and be the Kayla you're meant to be, okay?"
I couldn't help but get emotional over her little speech.
Honestly, it has been so hard for me to cope as a young single mother.
With trying trying to provide food on the table for Estelle and I, trying to be the best parent she ever knows and trying not to breakdown in the middle of the street every now and then, I rarely had time for myself anymore.
I always stepped out smelling like baby puke or slobber or pastries from the diner.
I really needed to get on my feet and start working for me.
So, I asked her, "What do you have in mind?"
And with the way Delilah grinned, I just knew she had something cunning up her sleeves.
"You'll see." She said with a sly chuckle.
~~~~~
What I thought Delilah had in store for me was definitely not what was happening.
We were seated at the back of a black sleek car, with a young man driving us to a club.
Not that I hated clubs. It was actually quite the opposite but it was Dee I was worried for.
I looked at her to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
Josh never let her out of his sight or out of reach. And with her present pregnancy, his protectiveness went up a notch, so I was really surprised when she showed up on my doorstep, wagging two VIP tickets to the new exotic club for the rich and famous in front of my face.
She had strutted in with sharp pointed heels that could pierce through chest to my heart and a simple but sexy dress that would normally be meant for brunch but on Dee? It looked like it was made for clubbing.
Yes, she was that good.
She had dragged me into my tiny boxed bedroom, demanded I bring out all of my clubbing outfits, and she finally chose a hot pink bodycon dress with a plunging neckline and back-line that would make a hooker look like a saint next to me and made my ass look rounder that it was, before dragging me into the car parked on my apartment driveway.
I looked at Dee before asking her again, "Are you sure Josh knows about this? I really don't want to get on his bad side. You realize that you're not supposed to take any alcohol, right? Do you think they serve punch there? I don’t -"
Dee placed a finger on my lips, shutting me up instantly. "I'm the pregnant one, Kayla." She giggled. "I love how much you care about me but tonight is all about you, Chica! And don't you worry about Josh." She smirked, "Let's just say I have him settled and all is well."
I sighed in relief but I had one last question. "Where did you get the VIP passes from? I heard Lacy at the cafe say it cost one thousand for it. And you have two passes. That's a lot of money, Dee."
"Babes, let's just say going to those fancy golf clubs as a semi trophy wife has it's perks. And listening in on conversations and interacting with the Elite most definitely has it's perks because those ladies are getting lit all weekend." She grinned. "And weekdays."
They had recently promoted Josh to the Chief of Police in our town and they were doing so well financially. Dee had to quit her bartending job to run her luxurious spa uptown and then she took in.
Running a luxurious spa in the rich part of our town meant you get to be around the Elite and get sucked into their world. And Dee was doing a damn good job of making sure anything but the latter happened.
"You're definitely hanging with the Elite." I chuckled. "Please tell me they’re anything but a nose-in-the-air-pearl-clutching trophy wife. I've received a lot of backlash since Estelle and I would literally die if someone looked at from beneath their nose one more time."
Dee snorted. "I wouldn't know," She wagged the tickets in my face. "I only care about these babies."
I laughed and we checked and retouched our makeup before getting to the club.
I struggled to keep my mouth close when we got down from car because the name and rumors I've heard about the club do no justice to the actual club itself.
It was an absolute beast in our not-so-big town.
With the ladies in designer dresses and red-bottom five-inch heels, and the men with cigars and glittering gold rings trooping in and out of the club? It was definitely a club for the rich rich.
I sighed, clutching my purse tightly.
I could only hope I survived the night in one piece.
KAYLA’S POV "Holy shit-balls, this place is amazing!" Dee beamed. She grabbed my hand, grabbing me through the crowded nightclub, and she made a beeline for the VIP lounge upstairs. Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, a buff bouncer stepped in front of us with a glare, and his huge biceps stretched across his chest. With a huff, Dee slipped our passes out of her clutch and passed it to him. He looked down at the passes, back at us before letting us pass through the brass stanchion. Once we reached the top of the stairs, she tightened her hold on my hand and walked us to the right part of the lounge. The VIP lounge had little lighting and the bass of the thumping music was way quieter here. With red strobing lights and a small stage where sexy strippers were slithering up and down four steel poles while hundreds of dollar bills rained down on them, it gave a different vibe from what was happening downstairs. We walked passed a group of men seated on a luxurious red cushions
I walked down the stairs and approached the VIP bouncer, asking for an exit. The burly man nodded to a black door on our right. I expressed gratitude through a smile and headed towards the door, conscious of his gaze fixed on me. Upon reaching the door, I pushed it open and stepped out into the refreshing evening air. Taking a moment to close the door behind me, I surveyed my surroundings and realized I was alone. I leaned against the wall; and let out a deep sigh, closing my eyes as I focused on my breath. "Fuck," I muttered. Today had turned out to be one of the worst days of the year, and we weren't even halfway through. It wasn't uncommon for people to make snide remarks about my financial struggles and being a single mother. Their disdain was all too familiar, even when I tried calmly to explain the circumstances. They often placed the blame solely on me. I wasn't stupid to say that Aidan alone was at fault. Even I recognized my own faults in the situation. The desire to rebe
We rounded the corner, and he guided into his waiting car. I didn't falter.Didn't utter a peep even when I climbed into the vehicle, and neatly tucked my knees together. I held my breath as I waited for him to get in beside me in the backseat. The minute he stepped in and clicked his seatbelt, the driver set off. The car got onto the road and the privacy screen went up. I looked to the side to find him rapping his knuckles against his knee, and it did not surprise me when I found his gaze on me. "Did you come to the club with anyone?" He asked, and it seemed I had forgotten how good he sounded because his stunned me. It was low and raspy, and husky, and it made me think about sex. Not just mediocre sex, but the best sex.Toe-curling, nails-breaking-in-the-sheets sex. Sex so fucking good you wouldn't walk the next day. Sex so hot, my current temperature was going to pale in comparison, and that was saying something because my temperature was hot as hell.Sex that I, unfortun
I laid back down, spread open my legs, slipped my hands down and parted my folds with them, showing him my wet opening.He looked at me for endless moments; our gazes trained on each other before he broke it and trailed his eyes down my body. The further he went, the darker his blue orbs got.He moved to the edge of the bed, and leaned into me, placing his hand next to me head. He used the other hand to wrap around neck and I whimpered when his gaze turned harsher and he tightened his hold a little.I had no clue why I found that so hot.He trailed that hand to my globes of my breast, trailed a finger around my areola and tugged hard on my nipple.My breathing came out as gasps and he locked his gaze on mine once again. "You want more?"I half-mewled my answer, "Yes."He got to work.Tugging and tweaking the hard points until I was soaking the sheet below me, and I was begging. I didn't know what I was pleading for. For him to stop or to make it hurt more, I had no fucking clue.He sl
The sound of the door shutting close jolted me awake.I woke up to find myself on the softest bed I had ever laid on in my twenty-one years of life.The black duvet was flung over the lower half of my body, and one of my ass cheeks was out on display since I was lying on my stomach with one of my leg arched high.I groaned as I struggled to open my eyes."Shit," I hissed. The light filtering into the room through the uncovered windows seemed way too bright for the morning.As my eyes adjusted to it, I made a quick perusal of the unfamiliar room and I groaned and closed my eyes as the memories of last night came flooding in.The dull ache in my head told me I'd had one too many drinks. With my eyes still closed, I took in a deep breath and his scent and the smell of sex filled my nostrils.I didn't believe in natural scents or pheromones until I scented his delicious essence. And right now? I wanted to breathe and live in it.The smell of sex reminded me of the night before.Of how he
"What?" Dee shrieked. Her smile dropped from her face as she stared. She leaned across the wooden table and snatched the small phone from my hands.The more she read, the wider her eyes got. "What the hell?" She muttered, "Why? They gave no reason whatsoever."I stopped listening to whatever she said after that.I was struggling to get a hold of myself.Working at the Cafe barely settled all of my needs, but it did get some of them out of the way.I stopped working at the bar a long time ago, and after having Estelle I got a job at the Cafe to settle some things.I dealt with the smaller bills from the money my Grandma sent to me.I didn't realize tears were already streaming out of my face until Dee whispered, "Aw, don't cry Kay-Kay. I'm sure they have a reason for letting you go." She reached over to grab my hands before saying, "Let's go there right now. I'm sure old Maggy wouldn't intentionally hurt you."I looked at her, past the blurriness of my eyes. "I-I don't know where to go
A knock resounded on my wooden door the next day, and I groaned. I already knew who it was without looking through the tiny peephole in the middle of the door."Kayla," My grandma said as soon as I opened the door.She stepped into my tiny apartment before I could say anything and walked past me. Her Dior Dioriviera wafted through the air as she did."Good morning, Grandma." I greeted her. I walked past where she was standing in the middle of my small living room and walked into the kitchen. "What can I offer you?"She walked into the kitchen, and Estelle, who was sitting on her high chair, squealed as soon as she set her eyes on her. "Gigi!" The cooked oats she scooped into her spoon fell off as her body shook with joy."Hey, munchkin," Grandma immediately rushed to Estelle. She peppered kisses all over face while whispering, "I've missed so much, and it's not even twenty-four hours yet." She shot an accusing glance at me. "Your mama here doesn't want us to have proper bonding time."
After calling her twice with no response, I sent her a text telling her I needed her to call me as soon as she got access to her phone. Then I dropped my phone and moved to clean the house. I did the dishes, vacuumed the living room, and room then I went into the bathroom to clean it. By the time it was twelve-noon, I checked on Estelle to find her still asleep. Thankfully, I gave her a bath immediately after she woke up, so there wasn't any need to wake her up again. I picked up the dirty clothes and walked downstairs to use the washing machine. There I met my old neighbor, Mrs. Winfield, who was living across my door. She was folding a heap of clothes that I was guessing were her laundry. I begged her to help me watch over Estelle while I ran an errand to the grocery store to get things I would need to make lunch. And with great enthusiasm, she agreed to it without any protest. "Of course, Kayla! Anytime you're leaving, give me a call and I'll be right out, sweetie." I gave
GABRIELS' POVI tried to calm my raging nerves as I watched Kayla storm off in front of me.I could tell she was pissed at me for interrupting whatever the hell that was with the man outside who seemed to be eye-fucking her with his leering eyes.But she wasn't the only person about to lose their mind. I was two seconds away from turning back and blowing his brains out for even exchanging words with her.I had no idea when my…fascination for Kayla grew to this extent.After seeing her for the first time at the crèche parking lot, I felt drawn to her, and the next time at the club, I took that opportunity and offered my proposal that night.Recently though, my fascination for Kayla was growing from mere infatuation into something else.Something more sinister.I refused to put a name on it.But seeing her laugh and bat her fucking eyelashes at a man wearing goddamn colorful khaki shorts, and watching him blatantly undress her with his eyes right on my fucking sidewalk in public, has my
I was sipping on a cup of coffee the next morning, leaning on Gabriel's granite counter, when he strutted in like he owned the place, which he did.The joke was completely on me.I grasped the handle of the mug harder when he brushed past me to stand next to the coffeemaker. I'd resumed work earlier than usual today, and Michelle was still upstairs getting ready with Vee.We were alone in the kitchen and although the morning air was crisp, the air in the kitchen felt heated when he stepped in."Good morning, Mr. Marcello," I greeted as cheerfully as one could greet her employer.I was still brewing with annoyance at his attitude yesterday, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my mood.I was here for a reason, and that was to make money.I waited, watching as he made he filled his mug with coffee, black, before turning to stare at me with hard eyes.I tried to take in deep breaths, but he was still staring at me.His gaze never wavered, even as he took sips of his hot coffee.I took the on
We were all seated on the blanket now.With Michelle's new friend, Eden, next to her.After I had called Michelle to come and eat, she'd ran to us with us with Eden behind her.Huge smiles etched on their faces.Shocked, I'd looked to Gabriel and Mrs. Vee for assistance when I'd ask Eden where her parents were, and like a true knight, Gabriel had came to my aid by signing to her and asking her where her parents were, and who she came with.And there was just something hot in watching a huge man like Gabriel, squatting next to her, murmuring softly while signing to the little girl with a small smile.He was such a softie with kids, and it got me all mushy and soft as well.Now we were all devouring Mrs. Vee's sandwiches.I was still a bit tense as we ate. The feeling of Gabriel sitting so close to me, our knees bumping, had me on edge the whole time.There was no way I was going to sit here and avoid him while we were here together.I didn't want Mrs. Vee to notice something was off or
It’s been two weeks since I started working for Gabriel as his daughter's nanny. And it was safe to say I was an exceptional nanny to Michelle. Her initial hesitant smiles were slowly turning into full grins and soon enough, I knew she was going to be bubbling with laughter. We spent the mornings gardening and harvesting whatever we could, followed by playing legos and taking her to the park in the neighborhood to chase butterflies. We also took walks along the wide sidewalks, with me taking in the astonishingly big houses that lined the street and Michelle picking whatever flower we found on our way. And on the days we couldn't go to the park or take long walks, I would cradle her and read to her one of her numerous storybooks in soft tones, and during those moments, Mrs. Vee would pass us with a fond smile on her face. I was also doing an excellent job of avoiding Gabriel. Whenever he turned right, I went the other way. I avoided his gaze in the kitchen whenever he came to dr
"No way," Dee gasped, leaning from her relaxed position on my cushion. "I might tell you a joke, but I'll never tell you a lie." I laughed. I was sitting on my ass, cross-legged, in the middle of my sitting room, and we were talking about my present predicament. I just told her about the Gabriel situation. Dee laughed, hugging the small throw-over pillow to her chest. "This is gold, Kay! Like freaking gold. I've always read about this but I have never actually seen someone that has experienced this." she threw the pillow at me, and it hit me right in my face. "I can't believe your one-night stand, the one who fucked you so good you could barely walk straight, if I may add, is your first client. This is freaking gold." She laughed, and I glared at her. "Stop!" I threw the pillow back at her, aiming so it hit her face instead of her stomach. "I can't even stand him, Dee." that was a lie and the look on her face said she knew that too. "Okay. I guess I can stand him, but I literally t
Both Mrs. Vee and Michelle were looking at me as we approached the garden, trailing my every move and they watched as my eyes widened with awe. "This is where Michelle spends all of her time," Mrs. Vee said, walking further into what was far from what she called a 'little garden'. I gauged Michelle's face, as her big grey eyes held mine, it almost felt like she was trying to see the space through my eyes. Like she was wondering if it looked as magical to me as it was to her. If I viewed the towering greenery and wildflowers as an unplanned mishmash. "It's beautiful," I breathed out, walking further into the garden. My steps were small and my feet met the brown soil like whispers, I was afraid if I walked normally I would stomp on her pretty flowers. The garden before me was a riot of color with five sections. The first section behind had blooms locked together like joints. They reached for the sky in some spots, and crawled on the ground in others, creating a pattern that I was
I quickly followed Gabriel out of his office, and just like before, my nerves were taking a hold of me. Gabriel's home was huge. The penthouse we fucked in suddenly flashed before my eyes, and I huffed a laugh. There I was thinking the penthouse was his actual home, whereas it was fuck pad. I suddenly felt like one of the numerous ladies he took there. I shook my head to get rid of those intrusive thoughts. What the hell was I thinking? Of course, I was one of those ladies. Cue, another huff of laughter. I followed him up to the right part of the foyer; we passed the huge a huge living room and the dining area. As we walked further, I heard a voice coming from what was beginning to look like the entrance of the kitchen. We stepped into the kitchen, and although I was in the kitchen with him, his broad shoulders blocked my view, and I frowned. As if sensing my displeasure, he moved to the side, and I finally saw Michelle and Mrs. Vee. Michelle was in a baby blue flowery top an
I tried to keep my composure. I really did. But then I took him in and I lost all the composure I had gathered. With his ruffled hair and suit that stretched on his muscles, he still looked as sexy as ever. "Miss Kayla. Please take a seat." He nodded to the sleek leather chairs across from his desk. I shivered again. His voice was something I could never forget, not in a lifetime. And it made me recall the throes of passion we had the night we spent together. How good he made me feel, how hard he made me orgasm, and how sore I was the next day. I looked at him; he was staring at me and I waited for some sort of, I don't know, recognition to flicker in his gaze. Or shock to show on his face, which I was sure was very noticeable on mine. But nothing came. He looked like he had never seen me before. Was his memory that bad? Because I knew I had eyes that would take time before it slipped through his memory. He said so himself. I looked into his eyes, waiting for him to say so
The next day, the first text I saw when I checked my phone was from Dee and I frowned. Dress up and come over now! We need to go shopping; it said. I had no idea why we had to go shopping, and I told her so. Bubbles appeared on my phone screen, showing she read the text, and she was typing back. And when her text came, my breath ceased. BECAUSE YOU GOT THE JOB, SILLY! Was written boldly and on all caps on my screen. WHATTT???! I texted back and my body felt light from the excitement I was feeling. I quickly sent another text before she could respond; Why didn't you say so at first? You have no idea how happy I am. Thank you so much, Dee. You're the best girl ever! Her next came through; Don't thank me yet, Kay. Come over so I can give you more details and we can shop at the mall for your first day tomorrow. With a huge grin on my face, I squealed, and Estelle, who was on my bed now fully awake, giggled. I scooped her up, rubbing my nose with hers. "Mama just got a new job. Tha