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I came downstairs, locking eyes with Jack as I walked into the kitchen. The look in his eyes was hot and fierce when he saw what I was wearing—it was nothing too inappropriate, but to him I knew that the simple, innocent white dress would be even sexier after a night of our nanny and boss fantasies. He looked me over appreciatively as Ivy turned around to look at me, waving me over to the table. I sat down next to her and she stood up, carefully pouring me a bowl of Froot Loops that I took graciously, although I hated how sweet they were. I didn’t mind as I sat there eating them, occasionally exchanging flirty glances with Jack over the table.
The doorbell rang and I looked around for Corina, then stood up when I realized she wasn’t there. I thought it must be her outside—it was early in the morning and she could have forgotten her key. I had learned that Corina had the tendency to be absentminded and forgetful, though I had started to love the older woman for her quirky, happy personality. I got up to go to the door and looked through the peephole to see a beautiful woman with sharp features looking angry on the other side. I opened the door hesitantly and peered out at her.
“Hello?” I said. She had her hands on her hips as she stared at me coldly.
“Who are you?” she asked, then shook her head. “Never mind. I don’t care about his whores. Where is my husband?”
I stared at her, my mouth slightly ajar, completely shocked by her words.
“Excuse me?” I said. “What did you just call me?”
“You heard me,” she said disdainfully. “Now if you’re the maid or something, go fetch your boss.”
I stood firm, gritting my teeth. The shock had faded off and was becoming replaced by anger. I narrowed my eyes at her.
“You’re not married to Jack anymore,” I said. “You can’t just—”
She pushed past me then, putting her hands on my chest and shoving me to the side. I stumbled as she went inside, looking around the foyer.
“Jack,” she called in a shrill voice. “Jack, where are you?”
He appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, opening it only wide enough to slip through. He closed it behind him, and I knew it was because he didn’t want the woman to see or speak to her daughter.
“Jack,” the woman said. “I—”
“You need to leave, now,” he said, glaring at her. “I told you not to come to this house.”
“You have my daughter—”
He took her arm then, his grip gentle but firm enough to lead her out of the door, slamming it behind him. She wasn’t even able to finish her sentence before they were gone. My curiosity was overwhelmed but I didn’t listen in. I stood near the door, though, waiting for Jack to come back. Outside, I could hear their raised voices. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but his wife’s voice was high-pitched and angry, and I could hear the rage in Jack’s tone even from inside.
“Lauren?” came a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Ivy standing in the doorway, staring at me with a puzzled look on her face. “Who is outside?”
“Nobody, sweetie,” I said, unsure of what to tell her. It had seemed like Jack had wanted to keep his daughter away from her mother, but for some reason it still felt wrong to play a part in keeping them apart.
“I want to see,” Ivy said, running toward the door and opening it before I could block her. She opened it a crack and peered outside. I saw Jack and the woman turn to her.
“Hi, baby,” the woman said, kneeling down and putting her arms out to give Ivy a hug. Ivy shrank back, then darted behind my legs to hide. I saw the woman’s face screw up with rage. She hit Jack in the chest with her fists, then turned around to walk away.
“This isn’t the last time you’ll see me, Jack,” she threatened as she got into her car. I watched her pull away, saw Jack turn to us and advance towards the door. He met my eye for only an instant as he approached, then looked away from me with his jaw clenched. I wanted to comfort him, and ask him what was going on but knew that it wasn’t my place. I was his nanny, and we’d only spent one night together. I had no reason to believe that this was anything but casual with Jack, and I didn’t want to cross a line and make him think I was moving too fast.
“Daddy, why was Mommy here?” Ivy asked. “She scares me.”
Jack knelt down in front of his daughter, taking her small body into his arms.
“I’m not going to let your mommy hurt you, baby,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Daddy’s going to keep you safe, okay?”
The little girl nodded, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. He looked up at me then.
“I’ll be in my office,” he said, his voice cold when he spoke to me. It stung to hear that tone, but I understood that he was hurt. I nodded and watched him disappear up the stairs, taking Ivy into the playroom to keep her distracted from worrying about her mother. I thought about Jack and decided to give him some time before I went up to try to speak to him. It was hard to stay away, but I knew it was for the best.
