Ethan squeezes my hand. “I’m so sorry, Maya. What next?”
“I’m moving in with Xander and Patty and I’m looking for a better paying job.”
Ethan’s brow furrows deeper. He scratches the side of his blond, messy ‘do, which he always does when he’s concerned. “You’re not leaving school, though, I hope.”
I chuckle. “Now you sound like my brother. No, I won’t leave school, but I’m going to have to change my classes around. Take night courses or see about online options.”
Ethan pouts. “I’ll miss you.”
I squeeze his hand back. “I’ll miss you, too.”
Ethan and I are both pursuing our BA in Education at Silvercrest College, but we’ve been best friends for years. My ultimate goal is to be a teacher and get my Masters in Education. A dream inspired by my dad, who we lost years ago to heart disease. Pursuing a career in education is kind of like my homage to him, I guess. My dad was known as one of those teachers you never forget. He taught English at the middle school here in our town of Castle’s Garden. I remember coming home from babysitting only to find Dad tutoring one of my classmates in Steinbeck or Atwood. Or the finer points of grammar. Mr. O’ Bannon, as he was known, was well loved in our town.
Ethan’s long, lean face brightens, as do his crystal blue eyes. “You know, I might have just the job for you.”
I grip my coffee tight as excitement tightens my gut. “Really? You know I’ll love you forever if you do, right?”
He laughs. “You already will. See, there are these friends of mine and Tom’s… they need a live-in nanny, but they need someone to work afternoons primarily, and nights. So you wouldn’t have to change your school schedule at all. Tom won’t let me do it because he says there is no way he’s letting me leave him and live with two gorgeous men.”
“They’re gorgeous?” I raise an eyebrow. “Where do I sign up?”
Ethan smirks before he sips his coffee and checks his watch to see how much of our lunch break is left. “Isaiah and Sawyer are also absolute sweethearts. I think you’d love working for them, and I’ll give you a glowing reference.”
I can’t contain my enthusiasm any longer. I do a little dance in my seat then get up and place a loud kiss on Ethan’s cheek. A woman looks up from her ereader, from where she sits at the very end of the small coffee shop, and glares at us.
“Sorry. I’m so grateful I had to smooch you. Thank you so much. If you were straight, you realize I’d have to stalk you and make you mine, right?”
He laughs loudly at this. “Sweetie, if I were straight you’d already have been mine long ago. I’ll give Isaiah and Sawyer a call tomorrow. They’ve got three children between them that I know you’ll adore. I’ll call you by the weekend to give you an update.”
I jump up and hug and kiss my best friend again, much to the ereading woman’s chagrin.
***
Ethan calls on Saturday. Excitement is evident in his voice the moment after I answer my antiquated cell phone.
“I got you an interview with the guys!”
I wish I could pull him through the phone and hug him again. “Wonderful. Thank you tons again. I owe you a lasagna for this.”
“Will you use three cheeses and put extra on top?”
“You know it!”
I almost skip to my car as my hopes lift. Ethan gives me the time, date, and directions. The house is in an uber-rich part of Castle’s Garden, and I swallow over my sense of intimidation. I’m to be at Isaiah and Sawyer’s estate by 7pm on Monday. Thankfully the hour doesn’t conflict with any of my classes, and I’ll even be able to grab a shower and get all professionalled up before I go.
He tells me more about the couple, “They were in a polyamorous relationship, but their wife passed away two years ago. Brain aneurysm. She just dropped at work one day and that was it. So tragic.”
“That’s so sad.” I remember my dad and think about my brother and empathize with my potential employers.
“Isaiah is a tech entrepreneur. Comes from a family with a history in law. His dad was a lawyer and his mother a judge. Sawyer was a tutor and nanny for Isaiah and Rachel years ago then, well, the couple fell in love with him and there you go.”
Too bad they didn’t get their fairytale ending, I think. “So is Sawyer still teaching the kids also?”
“He takes the day shift. And he does some other work for Isaiah … but I’ll let the two of them explain all that to you.”
Ethan tells me Isaiah is none other than Isaiah Jackson, a prominent but reclusive billionaire, and that’s when I recognize the name. Isaiah Jackson is well known in our small town of Castle’s Garden, but not much is known about his personal life. He made his billions through technology, inventing a geo-tracking system that’s designed to get your anywhere accurately. Knowing this, I’m intimidated about my upcoming interview, but determined to do well.
***
Following Ethan’s directions, I show up at Isaiah and Sawyer’s mansion fifteen minutes early Monday evening. The place is done up in art deco design and looks a bit like a blocky apartment building to me, but one level has a curved face that adds some softness to the modern, clean lines.
I’m buzzed through the gate and drive up a long, paved driveway lined with well manicured hedges. After I park my car, I walk up a slight slope toward a front door made of glass and metal. I hit the doorbell and wait, wishing the nervous flutter in my stomach would calm down.
Footsteps sound from inside and my heart picks up its pace. My face floods with heat, knowing I’m about to be interviewed by the richest man in Castle’s Garden. I expect their butler, or whatever rich people call the help these days, will probably see me in and take me to meet Sawyer and Isaiah.
I practice my greeting three times before a tall man with a trim waist and broad shoulders comes into view. His low brow furrows as he spots me and opens the door. He’s dressed in an open throated white shirt and jeans. I didn’t realize the rich let their help go so casual, but I’ve never known anyone who made over $100,000 so what do I know?
“Hello,” I say, extending my hand. “I’m here for the interview with Mr. Jackson.”
His eyebrow shoots up and he gives me a bold up and down perusal before crossing his arms over his massive, well muscled chest. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”
I gulp, open my mouth to reply, shut it again. The man oozes power and intimidation. I wish I could melt into the pavement beneath my feet. Add to this he resembles that actor who played Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, Jason Momoa, and you can see why I’m at a loss for words.
“Come inside.” He walks away, leaving the door open and me still gaping before I follow.
The man leads me to a lavish office done up in wood and leather. A stark contrast to the modern architecture of the house and furnishing I noticed in the foyer. He glides behind the looming walnut desk, rifles through some papers, then pins me with aquamarine eyes.
“Sit down, please.” He gestures to a button leather chair in front of the desk.
“You’re Mr. Jackson?” I squeak as I lower myself into the plush chair. The reclusive billionaire hardly ever poses for pictures, and the ones I have seen have been blurry profile shots at best.
His eyebrow shoots up again. Those lush lips form a pout and those startling eyes focus on me once more. “Who did you think I was? The hired help?” He pauses long enough to sit and scan a few more papers laid out before him. “I may be loaded, but I can answer my own door.”
“Oh, of course!” I stammer, hating myself for being a nervous ninny and getting this interview off to a bad start. “I didn’t mean … I just thought…”
“I like to do things for myself, Ms.—” He scratches the stubble on his chin. “What did you say your name was?”
“Maya. Maya O’ Bannon.”
“Well, Maya.” He folds his large brown hands together and leans over the desk. His scowl transforms into a sexy smirk. “What is your preference when it comes to
whips?”
I nearly choke on the nervous lump lodged in my throat. “Excuse me?”
Just at that moment, a shorter, pale man with sandy brown hair done up in a short, mess hairdo enters the room. He flashes me a wide smile filled with white teeth. His eyes are like black coffee and exude a natural warmth.
“Hi.” He holds out a hand. “I’m Sawyer. Did Surrender send you over? You must be new. I don’t recognize you, but then I haven’t worked any of the clubs or resorts in a long time.”
I shake my head. Look from him to Isaiah then back again. “Surrender? I’m confused…”
Sawyer tilts his head, glances at his partner, then at me. “What interview are you here for exactly?”
“I’m applying for the nanny position.”
Isaiah and Sawyer exchange another look, then a laugh rumbles up from Isaiah’s impressive chest. He glides around the desk once more, so quickly it startles me when he moves around front of me and captures my hand in his large one.
“Sorry, Maya,” he says, just before he dips his head to sweep a kiss over my knuckles. “We thought you were applying for … another job with us. I made the wrong assumption this time.”
His full lips send a shock of sensation through me. I almost pull away from the jolt that zips up my arm, but instead I let his touch linger, though it has such an intense effect on me I’m not sure I’m comfortable with it.
Sawyer lets out a nervous chuckle and runs his hand over his gelled spikes. “I’ll call Surrender later. Sorry about that, Maya. Long story.” He takes a seat next to me. “Now, let’s get your interview started. Ethan’s told us great things about you. He doesn’t give his recommendation easily, either.”
The interview goes well. There’s an amiable chemistry between me and these two men that makes us talk easily, as if we’ve known each other for years. I sense we’re wrapping things up when Sawyer looks at Isaiah and an unspoken agreement seems to pass between them.
“Maya, would you give us a few minutes alone?” Isaiah says, and I excuse myself, leaving the room so they can discuss my fate. Sawyer has one of their housekeepers, Sadie, show me to a great room, where I wait and try not to bite my fingernails to stubs.
Ten minutes later, the two men enter the room and approach the plush leather couch I sit on. One takes a seat in a chair opposite me. The other sits beside me.
“Maya, we think you’ll make the perfect nanny,” Sawyer says. “How’d you like to start this weekend?”
“I’d love to,” I say, refraining from jumping into my new bosses’ arms and hugging them both. My anxiety turns to joy as they give me more details on the job. I’ll meet the children when I return Friday evening.
***
“I got a new job!” I shout after I enter my brother and Patty’s apartment.
“What? You don’t say hello anymore?” Patty grins as she waddles out of the bedroom. She’s very pregnant at six months along. She hugs me before we sit on the couch.
My brother comes out of the kitchen looking worried. “What about school, and the daycare?”
“Don’t worry.” I give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he sits in the chair near us. “This job is nights, so it won’t screw up my classes at all.”
“What about all your projects? You get a shitload of homework in your courses.”
“My employers are great. Please, don’t worry. I’ll get everything done. I had to give notice at the daycare, though.” I give a little pout at this. “I’m going to miss working with Ethan, but I’ll still see him in our classes together.”
My brother still doesn’t look convinced, and when I turn to Patty she appears concerned too.
“Look, both of you, please just trust me,” I say to them. “I know what I’m doing and the pay is fabulous. I’ll be able to help you two out with the new baby coming.”
Josh gurgles and gives a little shout in his playpen and Patty goes to pick him up. As she does, she says, “We’re happy for you, Maya, really. We just don’t want you to put your life on hold for us.”
I wave her off. “Nonsense, sis. This job is a great opportunity for me. Oh, one thing, though. I won’t be able to move in with you two here. I’ll be living with my new bosses. The job’s a live-in nanny type deal.”
“Who are you working for?” Xander asks.
I give him a wide smile. “None other than Isaiah Jackson, the reclusive tech billionaire.”
“Ohhhhh.” Patty waves a hand while she balances Josh on one hip. “Look at you. Moving up in the world.”
“And I’m taking you all with me.” I plant a big kiss on each of their cheeks. “How you feeling today, Xander?”
He gives a small smile. “I’m doing okay. No more attacks. The pain in my joints and stomach aren’t so bad this week.”
We talk for a while longer, I play with Josh for a while, and then we say goodbye. Butterflies flutter around my stomach as I leave the apartment and think about the prime job I’ve landed. Maybe things are really looking up for me and my family. I can’t wait for the weekend.
***
I drive back out to the Jackson estate on Friday, feeling like a kid on my way to Disneyland. The wage I discussed with Isaiah and Sawyer is more than reasonable, and it will be an immense help when it comes to paying Xander’s medical fees, helping out with Josh’s care, and with the new baby’s needs.
When I ring the doorbell this time, Sadie answers with a smile and a feather duster. She takes me upstairs to one of the rooms where the children are taught their lessons. I learned on my last visit that Sawyer teaches them in the day—math and science and physical fitness. I’ll be taking the afternoon classes, schooling them in English, history, and world cultural affairs. The men also make sure the children socialize with others their age, and this is something I’ll also be expected to partake in with the family from time to time.
Sawyer comes in the room, looking devastatingly handsome and fresh from the shower. He holds out his hand and gives mine a firm shake. Then he plants a tiny kiss on my cheek. “Maya, great to see you. Let me take you to meet our kids.”
He leads me down the hall of this wing to a large room with double doors. Inside I find a playroom any child would envy. There are colorful, oversized blocks stacked high against one wall. I see what looks to be a tiny antique table with a tea set and dolls gathered around. There are toys of every shape, sort, and variety, plus micro-sized furniture. In one corner, they even have a ball room, like you’d see at Chuck E. Cheese. Giggles and the rustle of plastic balls drift out of this area.
“Marta and Jaden, come meet your new nanny.”
The giggling stops as does the rustling of balls, then there’s a flurry of sound from the room just before two tiny heads poke up and peer out at me from a small window in the enclosure. A small girl with sandy brown hair and blue eyes just like Isaiah’s is first to emerge. She is followed by a taller boy who looks to be about twelve. He wears a cheeky sideways smile, and there’s a hot pink streak running down the center of his kinky black hair.
He rushes up to me. “Hi! Wanna come in the ball room with us? Marta hid one of her toys in there and we’re trying to find it. Think it’s a pink pony or something.”
Sawyer chuckles then puts a hand around the kids’ shoulders as he introduces them. “This is Jaden. Jaden, this is Maya. As you probably already guessed, Jaden likes to talk your ear off.”
They boy’s smirk grows wider, and while he’s chattier than Isaiah I can see a lot of the more intimidating man in this one.
“And this is Marta.” The shy little girl barely looks up at me. She just gives a small wave with short, chubby fingers then buries her face in Sawyer’s pant leg. “Marta likes to play with her tea set and she loves SpongeBob SquarePants. Marta, why don’t you show Maya your tea set and dolls?”
The little girl shakes her head furiously, takes a cautious glance at me, and then runs back inside the ball room.
Jaden gives a trademark big brother sigh and shakes his h
ead. “I’ll go get her. She’s being weird today.” Before he takes off he flashes me another smile. “Nice meeting you, Maya!”
Then the two disappear beneath the colorful balls once more. I share a laugh with Sawyer at their childhood joy as he leads me out of the room.
“Be patient with Marta,” he tells me as we walk down the hall toward another destination. “She’s a sweet child, but after Rachel died…” Pain pinches his face into a frown for a brief moment and compassion sparks through my heart for him. “She became withdrawn. She’s making great progress thanks to her therapist, but meeting new people is still tough for her.”
“No problem,” I say, wanting to reassure him. “She is a beautiful little girl. And that Jaden’s a real charmer.”
He breaks into a wide smile. “Oh, he certainly is. You might not know it from just meeting Isaiah, but he takes after him. When that man wants something, he turns the charisma all the way up and there’s no denying him.”
“I could see it.”
Sawyer next leads me into a smaller room that is obviously the bedroom of a teenager. I can see the silhouette of a posing form through layered sheers that adorn a floor to ceiling window.
“She’s out on the balcony,” Sawyer says, and he gestures for me to follow.
We walk through the lacy sheers and find a young, lithe girl with caramel skin that matches her eyes. She’s in a yoga pose and she looks like a graceful swan as she holds the position. Then she notices us and those eyes go wide.
“Shit, you scared the crap outta me!” She loses the pose and clutches a hand to her chest.
“Shanae, don’t swear,” Sawyer admonishes. “Sorry we startled you. Why weren’t you in the playroom? I told you Maya was starting today.”
Like a typical teenager, she shrugs as she pads across the long, wide balcony. She joins us at a table set there, beneath a large umbrella.
“Sorry,” she says. “I forgot.”
She gives me a wary up and down perusal that makes me think of Isaiah’s initial assessment of me. Then she plonks down in a chair opposite me. “Hey, I’m Shanae. The troublemaker of the family.”
Surrender Boxed Set (Surrender Series Volume 1 - 7. BDSM romance with man love, bad boys, and billionaires.) Page 39
