His Nanny Mate By Eve Above Story

Chapter 5 L’affaire Au Pair

Moana

I woke up at 4:30 the next morning — a bit earlier than I needed to, probably, but I wasn’t taking any chances with this job. I spent the next hour practically scrubbing myself raw in the shower, fixing my hair, ironing my clothes, and taking extra care to make sure that there wasn’t a single stray hair or speck of dust on me, because today was the first day of the job that would change my life, and I had to be perfect.

I then spent the final half hour of my preparations pacing and staring out the window, willing myself with all of the strength I had to not bite my nails, as I waited for the car that Selina had mentioned. Lo and behold, as soon as the clock struck 5:59, I saw a black car slowly pulling up out front, and I practically flew out of my apartment and down the stairs so that I was opening the car door by 6:00 sharp.

“Hmph,” Selina said, looking at her watch as I clambered into the back. “Six o’clock on the dot. A little out of breath, but at least you’re here.”

“Sorry,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and buckling my seatbelt. “It’s a bad neighborhood, so I didn’t want to wait outside.”

Selina didn’t answer. The driver pulled the car away from the curb and started heading down the street.

“We’ll be stopping to sign your contract with the lawyer first,” Selina said, her voice flat as she looked out the window with a modicum of disgust on her wrinkled face. “Then, you’ll get a tour of the penthouse apartment where you’ll be spending most of your time. I suspect you won’t be needing to return to your old home to collect your things?”

I thought back to my apartment and its contents.

“Well, I have some clothes and things there–”

“Your employer will supply you with anything you need: clothes, toiletries, books, and anything else you might need or want. Unless you have sentimental belongings you need to go back for, I wouldn’t recommend wasting your time and energy on such a move.”

That locket was the only sentimental thing I owned, and it was always

“Very well,” Selina said.

once. I didn’t let it get to

with large bay windows with a sign over the door that read “William Brown, Esq.” Selina got out of

moments later, and a young woman led us in. The office smelled like a sickly combination of mahogany and burnt coffee, and it was eerily quiet. Neither Selina nor the woman said a word; the woman only shut the door behind us and gestured

He was asleep.

him, and when he still didn’t wake, she swiftly kicked him under the

“Wake up, William!”

Oh!” the old man exclaimed with a start as he was unceremoniously awoken. I stifled a laugh as I stood in the doorway, but my smile quickly faded

on his glasses with shaking old hands as he opened a drawer and pulled out a stack of documents.

him ticked in time with my racing heartbeat and filled my ears, driving me practically insane, as the elderly lawyer licked his fingers and flipped through the documents. Finally, after a painstakingly long time and a curt “ahem” from Selina, he produced the packet of paperwork for me and set it down in

basic contract

I noticed a couple of interesting clauses thrown in: one mentioned that I was not allowed

I asked, pointing to them. William leaned

“All very standard.”

“But I–”

sign the agreement,” Selina growled under her breath. “Unless you

quickly scrawling my signature down on the dotted line and sliding the contract back to

let out another “Hmph,” and stood, smoothing

said, nodding politely to William, who

…

massive and beautiful. Selina and I

than the night before, wearing

the massive apartment on a tour — which took over an hour since the place was so large, and I was thoroughly exhausted by the time it was over. Ella’s bedroom alone was bigger than my old

to the twin maids, Lily and Amy, Ella led me to what would be

she said, pushing open a large set of double doors with her tiny hands. I stifled a gasp as I saw how spacious and beautiful

mine?” I asked, unable to