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“Alright.” Olivia shifts. “Well, what do you want out of this?”
I tilt my head. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what do you want for you and your niece? As a pair. It’s very easy to create space when a nanny is involved, even if it’s necessary because of occupation. So what would you like from this? How can I help maintain or build a relationship between you and Violet?”
I have no idea how to answer that.
Actually, that’s not quite true. There’s an answer that’s been brewing somewhere deep in the chest since the moment I walked out onto that frigid front stoop and knew, just knew, that my life was about to change in a major way.
I want Olivia to make me less fucking terrified.
I wanted to be less scared about the fact that I’m now a father. I don’t know shit about babies. I know they cry, I know they need a lot of care, I know I was never planning on having any—not after seeing just how bad fathers could be.
But I’d never in a million years breathe a single word of that shit out loud.
“We’ll figure all that out once you’ve settled into the role,” I growl uncomfortably.
I get up before she can press for more. Going into my filing cabinet, I pull out the contract I’d had written up for the person who managed to impress me enough.
“To make up for our rough start, I want to offer you a nice sign-on bonus.” I push the contract in front of her. “Fifteen up front?—”
“Fifteen whats?” she cuts in. “Fifteen thousand?”
“Of course.” I frown. “Is that not enough?”
She shakes her head so hard I’m surprised her teeth don’t clack together. “No, I’ve just never—It feels like—It’s a lot. That’s all.”
I set the file down on my desk and fix her with a fiery glare. “This is a very serious fucking job, Olivia Carter. So it’s a serious fucking fee to match. And you’ll take it all very fucking seriously. Am I understood?”
Silence. Tense, thick, lava-hot silence.
Then she nods. It’s meek and barely noticeable, but it’s a nod. “Understood,” she squeaks.
I nod back. “Good. After the sign-on bonus, you’ll receive twenty a month. That’s thousand, not hundred.”
Her skin pales. “That’s… You’re insane.”
“The only insane one is you, if you turn it down. I also plan to give you another bonus after a year of service. An incentive to stay on board for the long haul.”
Olivia licks her lips. It’s a distracting gesture. I catch her hesitation, though. Like she’s thinking too hard about how much money this is.
That’s a first. Most would jump on it without hesitation. Will she try to argue me down? Will she turn me down outright in some kind of moral protest?
I wait. I hold back the urge to rove my eyes over her figure as I do. I try not to linger on how her throat bobs just a bit when she swallows again.
She has no idea what I want to do to her. How wildly insane all this waiting is driving me.
Just answer. Say yes. I need you to say yes.
Finally, she licks her lips one more time and says the words I was waiting for.
“Alright. I accept.”
Jackpot.
9
OLIVIA
