Forbidden Neighbor: A Contemporary Romance Boxset (Forbidden Saga Book 2)

by Summer Brooks

  "I understand that, I guess. It’s not going to be easy convincing him that you've changed for good."

  "I know that. That's why I called you," I said, frustrated.

  "Well, if you're serious about this and you really want my advice, I would say you need to start being more of a …minimalist. Especially when it comes to women. Your face is all over the tabloids with a different woman every week. That's got to stop."

  "I was afraid you were going to say that," I joked.

  "Your father was always a one woman man. He loved your mother and only had eyes for her. I mean, of course, he's a man and liked to look at pretty women, but he was always preaching how awful promiscuity was. Look, I know for a fact that your father wants to trust you. If you quit with the running around and getting your picture taken with every model in the city, I guarantee that it'll be a step in the right direction."

  "Yeah," I grumbled, starting to feel tired from this conversation.

  "To tell you the truth, your dad was a little wild when he was very young. Maybe not at your level, but he had his moments. When he met your mom, he cleaned himself up quick. I think that's just the thing you need to turn your life around - you just need a good girl to whip you into shape." Uncle Greg laughed. "If he sees you with a nice, classy, beautiful woman, he's going to be impressed. Just find yourself one of those. Good girls have a way of taming bad boys, you know?"

  "I don't know, but thanks," I said. "Maybe you're right. It's getting late, Uncle Greg. Thanks for talking."

  "Anytime. Good luck, Alec. You'll get yourself figured out one way or another."

  "I know. Goodnight."

  I flopped back onto my bed and stared upward, ruminating on the conversation that I just had.

  Uncle Greg knew my father better than anyone, and the advice he had given me was sound, as I knew it would be. But it still wasn't what I wanted to hear.

  I hadn't been with any woman who could even be remotely considered a “good girl” in my entire life. I didn't even know where women like that could be found - the library maybe?

  I had certain tastes, yes, and it just so happened that most of the women that I was attracted to didn't exactly fall into the "take home to your family" category. It's not as if I were in that category of men, either.

  If that's what my father needed to see me doing in order to trust me, I wasn't sure if that was going to be possible. I checked the time and sighed. I was only going to get about five hours of sleep tonight. I guess this was how responsible people lived their lives.

  I tried to give myself a mental pat on the back for not going out tonight. I'd have to figure out the woman situation tomorrow. Maybe I could put out an ad or something, although I was pretty sure that would never work. What was I supposed to say? I'm looking for a woman to make my dying father think that I am a stand up citizen and include me in the deed to his hard built company?

  Yeah, not likely. Convincing my father to be proud of me was going to be impossible unless a miracle walked through my door tomorrow. I didn't have time to waste.

  5

  Myra

  I had no idea what to wear.

  I would look ridiculous if I showed up to that house dressed like Sophie was, in an ankle length skirt and a floral blouse buttoned up all the way to the neck. She could pull off the matronly look, I couldn't. But what was I supposed to wear to go clean a mansion?

  A dress would be a bit too…stereotypical. I finally settled on a pair of nice fitting khakis after discarding a pair of jeans back into my closet when I deemed them too casual. I should have asked Sophie for a suggestion. Of course, Anjali had suggested I show up in a skimpy French maid outfit and try to get into bed with Alex Slade, and while I had laughed at the suggestion, she had a point. If I were a different person, mentally and physically, maybe I could pull off a stunt like that.

  I wasn't there to seduce Alec Slade. I was going to work to earn a paycheck until I could get back into the corporate world. Even if he was hot and rich, I wouldn't want anything to do with him romantically anyway. The guy was a walking scandal, not to mention he didn't give non-supermodels the time of day. Anjali was crazy to even suggest such a thing, even as a joke.

  I found a plain, simple black V-neck t-shirt and put on a pair of pearly earrings before sweeping my long brown hair up in a sleek ponytail. I kept my makeup to a minimum - just enough to look professional and presentable, but not enough to draw attention. I imagined that it was an unspoken rule that house staff was supposed to more or less blend in with the furniture as much as possible.

  "Hopefully this isn't too painful," is what I muttered to myself as I got into the cab and headed toward the Slade estate.

  Sophie had given me a key to the side entrance, one that opened to a utility room where the cleaning supplies and other storage items were located. She’d explained that I could store my belongings here, and had also left a list of instructions for me, which I was actually thankful for. In a house this size, it could be overwhelming to even try and figure out where to begin.

  I listened, but didn't hear any noises in the rest of the house. Maybe Alec wasn't even here. I wished that I’d been introduced to him before my actual first day. I felt awkward being in the home of someone that I’d never actually met. Especially someone like Alec Slade.

  He likely wasn't even here because of being out all night. He would either be still out, asleep, or maybe on some exotic vacation without a care in the world. The only thing Sophie had mentioned was that he liked to keep odd hours, whatever that meant.

  I flipped through the binder that she had left for me. It detailed the various tasks that needed to be done throughout the house on each day of the week. I looked at today's list, and there wasn't much. In fact, there didn't seem to be a very long list on any day. With only one person living here, I doubted any of the rooms even needed much attention. I was relieved that there wasn't a horrible amount of work to be done, but I was starting to wonder how I was going to pass the time in here If there wasn't enough to do.

  I ran my finger down the list. “Office" was the first task on the list. Sophie had underlined the word "dust" and I smiled. She was so thorough. I hoped that I would be able to do as good of a job as she had around here. She was a natural when it came to housekeeping, it seemed. For the amount that I was being paid, I felt like I should definitely be making an effort to be worthwhile.

  I grabbed a duster off the wall and Headed into the hallway, trying to remember which way was the office in this oversized house. My footsteps were uncomfortably loud on the marble floors, despite the fact that I was wearing rubber soled loafers. The noise along with everything about this place made me feel self-conscious.

  When I turned to enter the office, I noticed that the computer screen was turned on. Maybe someone was actually here after all. I glanced around the other corner, but didn't see anyone. I decided that I should get to work so at least my first meeting with my boss wouldn't be of him catching me slacking off and wandering around the house.

  I got to work, pulling out a small step stool that was nestled in the corner and climbing up on it so that I could reach the highest shelves with my duster. Even though it had an extendable handle, I was rather short when I wasn't wearing heels, which I wasn't used to at all. As I got started dusting the books on the high shelves, a wave of sadness passed over me. I wondered if I would ever get a real job again. I didn't go to college for all those years so that I could dust shelves for a living.

  A loud voice startled me suddenly, causing me to stumble backward off of the stool that I was standing on. Luckily, it was only about a foot off the ground, and I regained my stability quickly and turned around to find myself face to face with the most handsome man that I had ever seen up close. I immediately recognized him as Alec Slade. He stood looking at me with confusion.

  "Hi, I'm Myra…" I started, sticking out my hand for him to shake. "I interviewed with Sophie the other day and she hired me."

  Realization crept acr
oss his face. "Oh, yes. I'm going to miss Sophie." He said, seemingly distracted. "Nice to meet you, Myra." He took a seat at the desk and swiveled his chair toward the computer.

  I was standing in an awkward position as I watched him stare at the computer screen. Then I realized that he must be working now and probably didn’t appreciate me lingering around. I picked up the duster and moved to put away the step stool.

  "I'm sorry, I can come back in here to tidy up later. What time do you take your lunch? I can come then so I'm not in your hair," I smiled sweetly, trying to appear friendly.

  H locked eyes with me. "No, please stay and do whatever you need to do. You're not bothering me at all. His eyes lingered on mine for a beat longer and I quickly looked away, feeling uncomfortable.

  "Ok," I said. "As long as I won't bother you. I know you must have a lot of work to do."

  He made a noise that I wasn't sure was in agreement or disagreement with my statement.

  I turned back around, and luckily was already done with the things on the top shelf. As Sophie had instructed me to do, I began taking each item off the shelf and carefully dusting the photos individually. I noticed a photo of Alec with two other men and one that was much older. I paused on it, realizing that it must be his family. The one next to it was of Alec with an older woman, who I assumed to be maybe his mother or an aunt. I thought of commenting, but when I glanced behind me, Alec was already dialing the phone, and I didn't want to seem like a creep for noticing the photos.

  I was used to being around rich businessmen from the financial world, and I knew that nobody liked to be bothered while they were doing business, and especially men like him. Apparently, whoever he was calling didn't answer, because he hung up the phone on his desk somewhat angrily and went back to his computer.

  I left the room to go grab some other supplies that I’d forgotten to bring. Some glass cleaner and rags to get the windows.

  "I'll be right back to do the windows, then I'll be out of your way, Mr. Slade." I said politely.

  "Please, call me Alec." He said, looking into my eyes with that smoldering gaze of his. I nodded, and turned to leave before he could see the slight blush that was taking over my cheeks. The man was even more mesmerizing in person than he was in the magazines.

  I hurried down the hall and back to the utility room, where I snuck a quick text to Anjali.

  I met him. He is smoking hot.

  I added a fire emoji and a smiley and slipped my phone back into my pocket, before checking my reflection in my compact from my purse. I had no idea why I was compelled to do that, other than it being a subconscious habit when I was in the presence of a gorgeous man. Even though he was my employer and totally out of my league, I still had an inclination to look as good as I could in a pair of khakis and sneakers.

  I grabbed the glass cleaner and some towels and headed back to the office. He was on the phone now, and I quietly began wiping down the glass, even though it wasn't all that dirty to begin with. The morning sun was shining outside, and the warm rays coming through the glass felt good.

  "The sun on your hair really brings out that pretty shade you have. I can tell it's natural."

  I wheeled around, surprised by Alec's voice. I expected to see someone else in the room, perhaps his girlfriend or fling who had snuck in to surprise him in his office during the workday. My eyes searched the room but found nobody. He sat back in his desk chair, smiling at me, and I realized he was actually talking to me.

  "Oh, um, thank you," I said, stammering. "Yes, it's my natural color. I've never dyed it. I don't think I have the motivation to keep up with the maintenance." I caught myself. "I mean, not that I'm lazy, but.."

  Alec laughed. "Of course, not. Why would you dye it? You have no reason to."

  I laughed nervously. His phone rang and he glanced at it, giving me a silent gesture that he was getting back to work. I turned back around, feeling flustered.

  I mindlessly wiped the glass, making my way across the room. The entire eastern wall of the office was covered in windows, and I was only halfway done. As I tried to focus on my task, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on Alec's conversation. He was becoming more and more agitated, it seemed.

  "I just need you to send someone over who knows how to work the software. This is the year 2018 for fuck's sake, I am not doing all this number crunching by hand. I bought this thousand dollar software so I wouldn't have to do that." There was a pause. "Yeah, the version I have is called True Finance. It's the latest version."

  Another pause.

  "If you're not going to be of any help, then I'll just hire someone else to do it." He hung up the phone and I could hear him clicking away.

  That software was a pain - it was the same one that my office had been outfitted with shortly before I was laid off. Everyone hated it.

  Before I knew what I was doing or what had gotten into me, I heard myself saying. "That software tries everybody's patience. There is a definite learning curve, but once you get into it, it's so worth it. I could help you out if you'd like."

  He stared at me like I had grown a second head.

  "Excuse me?"

  I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling shy. "I used to work in finance but was recently laid off. My office used the software you just mentioned on the phone. I'd be happy to get you started with it. I promise, it's not as bad as it looks."

  His face broke into a smile. "I'd like that, Myra. I had no idea you had a background in finance. Why didn't Sophie mention that to me, I wonder?" His eyes crinkled at the corners as he looked at me with a grin.

  "I didn't mention it to her," I admitted. "It didn't come up."

  "Well, it seems that you are worth your weight in gold, aren't you? You clean and you can crunch numbers? I'm impressed."

  "Don't be," I said. "I went to college for a very long time to learn all that I know."

  "Well, Myra," he said, looking at me in that intense way again. "I'd love to find out about what you know. Can I possibly take you to dinner tonight, and we can discuss an arrangement as a part of my staff that you may be a bit more qualified for?"

  My heart skipped a beat. Alec Slade was inviting me to dinner?

  "Um, sure. Or I could just show you now," I kicked myself internally for sounding so stupid.

  "I think we could have a better talk over dinner," he said smoothly. "How about tonight at seven? You can have the time to go home and change and I will arrange for you to be picked up. Is that okay?"

  I had a feeling he wasn't used to being told no. I wasn't about to tell him no, either.

  "Sure," I squeaked, trying to keep my cool. "That works for me."

  6

  Alec

  I did a double take when Myra emerged from her building onto the street. I was waiting in the car and had intended to step out and walk her from her door to the car, but I didn't even recognize her in time. As a connoisseur of women, I could usually pick out the hot ones even when they weren't dressed to the nines, and I’d noticed a special beauty in Myra when I met her today. Even in her khakis and t-shirt, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, it was apparent that she was a natural beauty.

  But I wasn't expecting this kind of a transformation.

  It took me a few minutes to even realize that it was her. Her hair was much longer than I’d given her credit for, and she now wore her dark brown flowing and loose, just the way I liked it. More impressive than her pretty hair was her amazing figure though. Her work clothes had not done her justice, and if she would have been wearing something like this when she showed up to work in my house today, I might not have been able to restrain myself.

  She now had on a strappy red dress and matching heels, and she looked every bit the show stopper, but somehow still classy at the same time. The cut of her dress skirted that delicate line between being just revealing enough to let me know what I was missing, but not so revealing that she looked all trashy.

  She knew how to dress, especially for a girl that was working as a maid.<
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  I got out of the car and went to her as she stood on the sidewalk, looking up and down the block for me and pulling out her phone to probably text me.

  "Myra," I said, coming up beside her and touching her elbow softly. "I'm sorry, I would have met you at the door but I didn't recognize you when you came out. You look stunning."

  She smiled shyly, making me want to kiss her pouty lips right there on the sidewalk.

  "Thank you," she said, her eyes darting away from mine momentarily.

  "Our ride is just over here," I said, gesturing to the luxury sedan that awaited us. I wanted to keep this as low key as I could for the time being until I was sure that she was going to be the woman that I needed to execute my plan.

  She nodded, allowing me to take her elbow and walk her to the car. I opened the back door and slid in next to her once she was in. I sat close to her, so that our knees touched, her bare skin against my tailored black slacks.

  As the driver pulled into traffic, I smiled at her. "I booked us a table at a new Mediterranean restaurant, Olivio. I hope that's okay with you. If it's not, I can always pull some strings and get us in somewhere else."

  Her eyes got a little larger. "Olivio? Wow, I’m pretty sure I just read in yesterday's paper that the place was booked out for months. Apparently the chef is world class. That's amazing that you got us a table there. It sounds wonderful."

  "The chef is certainly word class, and he also happens to be a friend of mine, it was no problem getting us in," I replied coolly, pleased that she was impressed. It’d been too long since I had gone out with a woman that truly appreciated anything. The women that I often went out with expected nothing less than a world class meal and the top luxuries that money could buy. Not that I was any different myself, yet it was refreshing to be around someone who was impressed by the way I lived and the connections I had.