Seduced

by Liv Bennett

  “You can talk to her family doctor and have him refer her to a psychiatrist,” Wendy suggests.

  “That might work actually. I’ll call her doctor tomorrow.”

  Wendy nods and smiles warmly. “She’s an incredibly strong woman, but even the strongest of us needs help every now and then. She needs to accept that she might need medical help to solve her psychological issues.” She pauses and lifts her chin. Even from this distance, I can see her direct gaze into Kenneth’s eyes. “You know you can call me anytime, day or night. Just say the word, and I’ll drop everything to be there for you.”

  I might not have a college degree, but I’m sure as hell the word she insinuates starts with an f and ends with uck. Goodness. I might throw up if I continue watching her attempts to seduce Kenneth. Fortunately, the most she seems to be capable of doing is to use indirect messages, which don’t seem to faze Kenneth.

  Disgusted by the sight of another woman so close to him, I walk back to the office and leave the door half open before settling beside Jack on the leather couch. Unaware of the schemes and ploys going on in his family, the little baby sleeps soundly, the relaxed sight of his face soothing my own agitated nerves.

  The door moves until it’s fully open, and I glance up to see Kenneth. The light looming from Trish’s ante-office is enough for him to recognize me and Jack. He nods his head to me and carefully leans down to leave a kiss on his son’s forehead.

  He looks over at his desk, perhaps undecided if he should work or not, while the party is still going on, judging from the continuous silence in the hallway and lack of text messages from Monika. Then, he turns his gaze at me and points with his finger outside.

  I push to my feet quickly and follow him out. He pulls the door closed and slips his hands into the side pockets of his dress pants. Contrary to Wendy, I purposefully place a sizable distance between us and slide onto the edge of Trish’s desk. Trying to picture Trish’s angry face were she to find out how I used her desk, I stretch out my legs and cross them.

  Perhaps out of exhaustion or having crossed an invisible barrier after seeing my pussy up close, Kenneth doesn’t pretend that my legs don’t have any effect on him, and studies my dress along with my generously displayed legs with an amused look. Slowly, his gaze travels up my body and after lingering over my breasts for a considerable time, his eyes find mine.

  “Where is Loraine?” he whispers.

  “She had a massage therapy session,” I explain quickly.

  “It must be one of those deep-tissue therapies to have lasted longer than three hours,” he says, rather amused.

  Despite my best attempts, I chuckle. “She didn’t tell me about her other plans and it’s not my place to ask.” I lower my gaze to the floor, not feeling up to responding to the deep penetration of his hardened eyes.

  “Yet, you feel it’s your every right to wander around half-naked in her house where her husband could show up any time.”

  His words set my face aflame, my cheeks turning hot and probably crimson red. Mortified, I yank my legs back reflexively.

  “I went through your closet. Most of your clothes, if not all, are brand new,” he continues. “Did you buy them to seduce me? Well, I’ve got news for you. I love my wife. I’m not going to divorce her to marry you. I’m not even going to take you as my mistress. If that’s your goal, better drop it now before things get ugly. I’m not known for my soft manner when it comes to people trying to fool with my family.”

  His threats and accusations, albeit true, stir fear inside me and I jolt up with shame and stand before him, my head low, my chin touching my chest. How much deeper can a girl sink? “I’m sorry, Mr. Carter. That wasn’t my intention,” I lie.

  He laughs loudly, ignoring his sleeping son in the next room. “Oh, please. Your attempt to lie is even more laughable than your efforts to tempt me.” He covers the distance between us with one long step and walks around me slowly.

  I don’t need to look up to his face to know he’s appraising me, perhaps negatively, comparing the flaws in my body, hair, and face to his wife’s perfection. But she’s not here with him, is she? Despite all her unmatchable beauty, she’s failing at the most important thing; being present.

  And just that fact proves to me he’s not actually angry at me or my promiscuous style of fashion. His anger stems from not having his wife beside him at a party organized to celebrate families.

  Each step he takes sends waves of his scent waffling to me. I part my lips to gasp air that’s richly blended with his decadent scent. My eyelids close as blood pools lower in my belly, heating up my tender flesh from inside. He’s so close, my impulses are so strong…vivid images of him grabbing me and bending me down over Trish’s desk storm my mind. All he needs to do is release his cock and dip it into my wetness.

  “Open your eyes, God damn it!” he yells at me. The anger thick in his voice shakes my core, and my eyes flutter open. “Stop it. I’m not going to fuck you. Not now. Not ever. Get it out of your mind and get the fuck out of my office!” His hand rises in the air and points toward the hallway.

  My heart stops beating, my lungs emptied of all air. I gape at him, not understanding what he’s saying. Where will I go? What will I do now? Will I be allowed to continue my work?

  “Get out!” he shouts, the high volume causing baby Jack to cry. Kenneth doesn’t run to soothe his son, and the threat bright in his eyes tells me he won’t let me anywhere near the poor, scared baby, either.

  I turn around and head for the door, if only to let Kenneth tend to his son. He doesn’t want me. With sexy dresses or without, I have no place in his life. I should acknowledge that fact now rather than wasting four more days of humiliation. Defeated at my own game, I exit the room.

  “That ass.” I hear him say softly when I turn the corner. He desires me, I have no doubt about it, but that doesn’t stop him from despising me.

  CH 11

  ~

  Tears sting my eyes while I run down the hallway toward the elevators. Kenneth has seen through me and made it clear he wouldn’t fall for my tricks. I’m not even sure if I’m allowed to stay the night at his home. It couldn’t have come at a worse time with Monika having subleased our apartment for the night. Where will we stay until we get our apartment back?

  The elevator is taking too long, and I’m at the end of my patience. Without a second thought, I rush to the stairs and run down three flights in my high heels. The party is still full on and has gotten even more crowded and louder.

  Something tears inside me when I spot Trish in the kids’ corner entertaining Jamie. Now that Kenneth has turned against me, he won’t allow me anywhere near his kids again.

  “There you are!” Monika’s hand grabs my shoulder, her high-pitched voice cheerful. “Where have you been?”

  “Nowhere. Just tried to get Jack to sleep.” I inhale, as my eyes remain fixed on Jamie with longing, wondering how she and her brother could have grown on me so much in such a short time.

  Trish places a huge piece of chocolate cake on the small table for Jamie to eat. I doubt Loraine would allow her to eat that much sweet so late in the evening. The sugar rush will keep the poor child from getting to bed early.

  “Do you want me to drive you back?” Scott’s voice startles me and pulls my focus from Jamie. He stands beside Monika, too close for my liking, but Monika doesn’t seem to mind, and nods at him with a warm grin.

  “Yes, please. The party is lame anyway,” Monika says and turns to me. “Are you coming with us?” She still thinks we have my bedroom at the Carters’ house for the night.

  “Yeah, but give me a minute. I need to call Mrs. Carter.” I fish out my phone from my purse and head out to the hall to dial Loraine in silence.

  She answers on the first beep. “What happened?” she asks, as if waiting for bad news. Very intuitive of her, but then again, everything I’ve done until now has been bad news.

  I pace down the hall to avoid eavesdroppers and cover my mouth while
whispering into the phone. “I’m sorry, Loraine, but Kenneth yelled at me. His exact words were, ‘I’m not going to fuck you. Not now. Not ever. Get it out of your mind and get the fuck out of my office!’ Pardon my vulgarity.”

  Loraine laughs and then inhales. “He’s the calmest man you can ever imagine. You must have done something outrageous to get him to curse, no less to a woman.”

  “Nothing I hadn’t already tried before.” I swallow and listen to what she might have to say and for background voices or noises in order to gauge where she might be. All I hear is her quiet breathing. She might indeed be attending a massage session, or her lover is giving her space to speak in silence.

  “Don’t worry. It shows you’re on the right track,” Loraine suggests, pulling my mind away from my speculations. “He’s not acting, he’s reacting to you. It’s a good sign. His resolve is crumbling. All you need to do is speed it up.”

  “Does that mean I should continue with the plan? He sounded like he didn’t want to keep me as a nanny anymore.”

  “Don’t worry about that. He won’t fire you without first asking me.”

  I let out a breath of relief for securing a roof over Monika’s and my head for the night. “Thank goodness. I was scared I wouldn’t have a place to sleep tonight.”

  “Why? You’re not embezzling from his company or abusing his children. You’re only seducing him. He’d never fire you for that. If anything, his ego must be the size of the moon right now with all the attention he’s getting from a young girl like you.” She laughs again.

  Her easygoing manner is Christmas bells to my ears, but also raises my curiosity. Neither her health nor her mood was in great shape this morning; how could she sound ecstatic and energetic after only a few hours? Her lover must be doing a great job at lifting her spirits.

  “Okay.” I glance over my shoulder to make sure I’m alone.

  “How are my kids?”

  “Jack is sleeping in Kenneth’s office. Jamie is playing with the other kids at the party.”

  “It’s getting late. Take the kids home now. I’ll be back late tonight.” She disconnects before I can wish her a good night.

  Walking back into the party room, I release Jamie from Trish’s boring clutches and, together with Scott and Monika, we take the elevator to Kenneth’s office.

  Facing him again so soon after the humiliating talk won’t be easy, but at least I’m not alone. His office door is half open and not much can be seen through the dark. Without glancing at his desk, I step into his office and gently take Jack into my arms, while Scott and Monika wait with Jamie out in the hallway. Their soft murmurs give me the encouragement I need to be in the same room with Kenneth.

  Kenneth moves around his desk and stops beside me, leaning down to get Jack’s plush blanket off the couch. “I’m sorry I lashed out at you earlier.” He avoids my eyes, but this time, out of shame, and focuses on Jack who’s sleeping in my arms. His head is slightly tilted to the side and his hand rubs the back of his son, the loving gesture erasing the memory of his hostility toward me in a heartbeat.

  He was right to get angry at me; I pushed him too hard. Yet, he’s the one who apologizes. My heart stops as I let his words sink in, my eyes lost in an intense study of him.

  I unashamedly drink in his unguarded posture up close, and he lets me. A hint of honor and pride surges to the surface of his expression, his manner friendly yet still cool. He’s a modern-day knight, not a thief or scoundrel. He’s not the man to fool around or break people’s hearts. He won’t cheat, no matter how attractive I am or what tactics I use.

  Yes, I acknowledge it now for the thousandth time, and still can’t give up on the idea completely. It’s not the money I’ll get if I succeed anymore that’s keeping me in the game and my eyes on the ball…rather, it’s the desire to establish a connection with this man of everything good and admirable.

  Only five days of being with him, I’m already falling for him. A new detail, I’m afraid, that will come with pain and sorrow. I’ll either break through the fort he’s built around his heart or get my own heart broken. It’s that simple.

  CH 12

  ~

  Kenneth arrives home at seven sharp to spend a few minutes alone with his kids before their bedtimes. Monika and I grab our dinner plates and settle on my bed. The mysterious chef had stir-fry noodles with chicken and vegetables for today’s meal and just looking at my full plate has me hungry all over again.

  Her one hand holding the spoon, Monika rubs her belly that hasn’t grown much since the last time I saw her. The thought of a baby growing inside her is terrifying to say the least. We grew up, wishing our biological parents would miraculously change their minds and claim us back. Having that hope engraved in her, will make it impossible for her to consider giving the baby up for adoption even if things don’t improve financially in our lives.

  “Have you talked to Teo about the baby?” I ask, lying beside her on my bed.

  She shakes her head and forks a piece of chicken. “I’m waiting until he figures it out by himself. And also, I’m not sure if the baby will stick. I don’t want to freak him out only to miscarry in a couple of weeks.”

  “He will freak out.”

  She gives me a pained smile and nods. “Yep, he will. One way or another.”

  “Try not to worry. It won’t be good for the baby.”

  “Your boss is hot.” Her face beams with the change of subject and she sits up on the bed.

  “You think so?” I look down at my plate to hide my blushing.

  “Duh! I’m not the only one who thinks Liam Hemsworth pales in comparison to your boss. I saw how you looked at him.”

  More blood rushes to my face, probably turning my skin into a deeper red than that of my dress. The only way to handle her confrontation is a counter-attack. “Oh, really. You were particularly cozy with Scott on the ride back. I bet Teo will have more reasons to freak out about that than the baby on the way.”

  As expected, she backs off immediately and starts rambling about how she likes Scott just as a friend and nothing else.

  My phone buzzes with an incoming text on the nightstand, and I quickly slide down to the edge of the bed to read the text with my back turned to Monika so she won’t see it.

  ‘Set you alarm to 5 in the morning and wait for my text,’ says the text from Loraine. She’s not even back home yet, but already hatching plans for tomorrow’s attack.

  “Who is it from?” Monika tries to look down at my phone over my shoulder.

  I quickly turn the phone off and stand. “Loraine. Just wanted to remind me of Jack’s breakfast.”

  “Oh.” She raises her eyebrows and narrows her eyes at me in a suspicious glance that I know so well. I don’t dwell on it, though, and instead I stroll into the bathroom to shave my legs and everything in between for Loraine’s next plan, which I’m sure as hell will include a lot of skin showcasing.

  Monika is already asleep when I return from the bathroom. Turning off the lights, I slide under the covers beside her with thoughts of tomorrow occupying my mind.

  What does Loraine have in mind this time? She must be getting desperate after days of having no tangible results. I’m just lucky she hasn’t put me out the door on an impulsive decision by now.

  My eyes feel heavier as the fear of being homeless and on the streets turns into a lucid dream. It won’t be just Monika and I. There’ll be another life, a helpless little baby who’ll be counting on us for survival. As hard as Kenneth’s shell seems to break down, my will to win is even stronger. If not for anything else, to give the baby a life Monika and I never had a chance to have when we were little.

  It seems as if my worries expand through the whole night, and when my phone buzzes on my nightstand, I feel I haven’t blinked an eye. I jump out of the bed, knowing very well the text is from Loraine, without even having to look at the phone.

  I read her text once I’m in the bathroom. “He’s at the gym. Come to my bedroom right now!�
��

  Despite the urgency clear in her message, I pee and hop into the bathtub for a quick shower to wash away the last lingering traces of sleepiness. Slipping into a thin, white, cotton t-shirt, I tiptoe out of the room and head for Loraine’s bedroom.

  “Come on! Get in!” Loraine waves at me from the doorway of her bedroom, her other hand up on her chest, holding her thick black bathrobe. Without makeup, her face has resumed its sick and exhausted look, and her hair looks particularly messy, as if she ruffled her hair purposefully to make it look like bed hair without any sign of sexiness attached to it.

  “Good morning.” I walk past her into her dark bedroom and turn around to glance at her, ready and alert for her instructions.

  “Sorry I had to wake you up so early,” she starts. “Kenneth has been working out for an hour now, and should come up for a shower at any minute. I made sure the bathroom at the gym won’t get any water. He’ll have to use the bathroom here. And you…” She points her long finger at me. “…can’t use the bathroom in your room because your friend is occupying it. Do you follow me?”

  We’re going for the accidental run-in due to a bathroom mishap. I nod. “Yes.”

  “Good. Go in. Get naked and wait for him. Don’t run the water and don’t make any other noise that’ll alert him to your presence before he can walk in on you. He needs to see you fully naked, ideally in a bending position, but he won’t do that if he knows you’re in there.”

  It still amazes me how she can get so blatant without a hint of discomfort in her voice or her manners, while just listening to her instructions makes me want to crawl under the bed. I nod again, bothered by the heat of my cheeks.

  She frowns and examines me with a skeptical look as if she doesn’t believe I can pull it off. “I’ll be down in the kitchen and ring your phone once when I see him coming up. Get in the bending position as soon as you get my call. And, remember to act casually.” She moves toward the nightstand and pulls out a pair of headphones from the top drawer. “Put these on and pretend as if you’re listening to music. Hum along to a melody so he knows you don’t hear him and that way he can check you out longer. Understand?”