Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
“Look who’s here.” Dana said. “It’s Lilybug.”
“I’m going to work with my daddy today, right Daddy?”
“That’s right, sweetheart.”
Bella turned and our eyes caught for a moment. In her blue gaze, I saw much of the same awkwardness and something else. But she smiled as she looked at Lily.
“Hi, I’m Bella.” She crouched down. “Are you going to keep your dad in line today?”
Lily studied Bella. I’m not sure how a five-year-old assessed people they met, but it certainly looked like Lily was trying to get a feel for Bella as she stared at her. “He’s the boss.”
“That he is.”
“What are you?” Lily asked her.
“I’m his assistant. I make sure he gets all his work done.”
Lily looked up at me. “Is that true Daddy?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Mr. Alexander. You have that conference call in about ten minutes.”
“Right. Thank you.”
“The materials and data are on your desk, Mr. Alexander,” Bella added as she straightened. Wasn’t it strange that I’d been inside this woman having an orgasm to end all orgasms, and now she was calling me Mr. Alexander?
“Thank you, Ms. Hanson.”
Bella looked at me and then Lily. “Lily, would you like to come help me while your dad is on the call? We can get a snack in the snack room first, then we can work on a presentation your dad needs next week for a call to France. Do you speak French?”
Lily shook her head.
“Want to learn?”
“Can I daddy?” Lily looked up at me. It was unusual for Lily to willingly go with someone she didn’t know. Maybe it was because Bella was offering her a snack. That had to be more fun even for a shy child than sitting quietly while I was on a call.
“I don’t want to inconvenience you, Ms. Hanson.” Fucking Bella was worse than asking her to babysit, but both were completely out of her job description and inappropriate.
“It’s no problem.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet. I handed Lily a couple of one-dollar bills. “For the vending machines in the snack room. Be sure you get something Ms. Hanson wants too.”
Lily grinned up at me. “Okay, Daddy.” Then she reached over and took Bella’s hand. “I like the white cookies in the snack room, do you?”
Bella smiled. “Those are yummy.”
I watched as they walked off with a strange feeling in my chest. Had Bella beguiled Lily too?
“Mr. Alexander, Mr. Jones is on the line,” Dana said.
“I’ll take it in my office.” I walked into my office, trying to focus on the call I had, but not able to get the vision of Bella and Lily walking hand and hand toward the break room out of my head.
Bella
I’d always wanted a little brother or sister, but being raised by a single mom who never remarried, I never got that wish. The closest I got was when I would babysit as a teenager. I was very popular among the parents in my building because I was around a lot to help them with their kids, and I charged a reasonable price. I took care of babies all the way up to ten-year-olds, and I enjoyed them all. That was why it didn’t feel like a big deal to offer to watch Lily for Blake.
I took Lily to the breakroom and helped her get a package of vanilla cookies and milk. I’d known Blake had a daughter but had never seen them together except in the pictures in his office. She was cute as could be, which made sense. Blake was extremely handsome and her mother had been beautiful, at least from the pictures on his desk. Like her mother, Lily had light hair, gray eyes, and rosy cheeks.
“How was school today?” I asked her.
“Good, ” she said with a shrug as she ate her cookies.
“Do you have a favorite thing to do at school?”
“I like art and counting.”
“Counting. You can go far if you know your numbers,” I said to her.
She sipped her milk. “My mommy was good at counting. My daddy says that’s why we’re lucky to have a lot of money.”
“Your dad is pretty good at numbers too.” He was good at other things I’d remember for the rest of my life. Even two days later, I swore I had the imprint of his hands on my body.
“Are you good at numbers?” Lily asked me.
“I’m alright.”
“I can count high. Do you want to see?”
“I do.” I sat back and watched with amusement as Lily started counting while she ate her cookies.
“What’s this?” A man’s voice mumbled behind me.
I turned and saw Dylan Colby, a mid-level manager. In his mid-thirties, Dylan was handsome in a slick way. Like Blake, he dressed in expensive suits, but Blake had an edge to him whereas Dylan looked like he could be an Abercrombie model.
“This is Lily Alexander and she’s counting.”