by Luxe, Eva
“How long do you need me to watch her? And why ask me?” I lowered my voice. “Who asks a stripper to watch their daughter?”
For the most part, that was sarcasm, but I was curious. He didn’t carry himself like the rest of the screwballs that came to the bar.
He was more mature, business like, and the scent of that cologne, that mix of sandalwood and coffee… damn .
“Well.” He hesitated. “Let’s just say I like your vibe. You’re gentle, and obviously new to the whole exotic dancer thing.”
My face burned. He didn’t have to remind me what an idiot I’d made of myself the night before. My single attempt at being a stripper had been a total train wreck; I couldn’t even make myself get back up there again the rest of the evening.
He wouldn’t understand, of course. One good look at his fancy, fast car and I knew that he didn’t know what scraping for money was like. Add on to that that you had a brother in a coma you had to support because insurance wanted to be so fucking cheap, and I was in a bind that he’d never relate to.
“Yeah, I know I was a disaster,” I said, crossing my arms in front of me. “But─”
“But what?”
“That job pays really good money. And I need that money.”
He sighed. “Right, because of your brother. How much?”
“You mean, how much do I get paid?” He nodded impatiently, and I shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s not a set thing, but my first day brought in like four hundred dollars.”
I didn’t mention that half of that had been the hundreds that he had shoved at me after I’d landed on top of him.
“I’ll pay you eight hundred if you watch after my Ariel today.”
That look in his eyes made it hard to turn him down. Not to mention that high amount of money. I was a little suspicious— but also excited— about why he would want me to do this. But he just looked like a concerned father, and I felt that his plea was genuine.
I moved my mouth to say yes when my mother opened the door and padded out to see who the handsome man was, who was standing in front of her house, with her daughter.
“Willow? Is this a friend of yours?” she asked.
“Yes, Mom.”
“I’m her boss,” he added. He shook her hand. “My name is Darien, I’ve hired your daughter to babysit my daughter today.”
He looked back at me with a grin. I nodded. One day off having to strip at the bar would be nice, as just the thought of it filled me with dread, especially if Darien wasn’t going to be there. Plus, getting paid eight hundred dollars was a nice boost of money. Maybe I would be able to make a dent in Sam’s healthcare after all.
“I’d love to stay longer to chat, but I have a very important meeting to go to,” Darien told my mom, and gestured for me to get into the car.
“Bye, Mom,” I said, as I ducked inside to grab my purse, and then headed back outside.
She looked rather dumbstruck as I left, and I couldn’t blame her. I had never been the type to want to babysit some kid. In fact, I thought kids were annoying. But, how was she to know what my alternatives were? This sure beat stripping.
I followed Darien over to his car and got inside. I looked in the backseat and saw Ariel give me a curious look.
“Willow, meet Ariel, my daughter.”
She spoke in a cheery voice, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you!”
“Hey, Ariel! You’ve got a princess name!”
“I do!” She giggled, high pitched and sweet.
I had to admit, it was pretty damn cute.
We went through many winding roads, and the scenery that passed us in a flurry of green and yellow hues was calming and reassuring. I was well aware I didn’t know Darien that well, but how many psycho killers went around dropping hundred dollar bills and picking up people with their child in the car?
I slid a glance at him as he navigated the expensive car through a neighborhood where the yards were not only fenced, but gated. He was handsome, with a strong jaw and thick eyelashes, and his hand on the wheel was large and strong. I wondered if he’d come from a background more like mine, with manual labor and blue collar work being more normal than suits and ties.
If so, he’d sure risen above it. He obviously didn’t have a care in the world about money now.
But since he had a kid, that meant he also had a wife or girlfriend, right?
I didn’t want to seem too nosy, so I kept my mouth shut. God knew I didn’t want to have that attribute of my mother rub off on me. But I couldn’t help but wonder all about this mysterious man who had helped me so much, for reasons I couldn’t even discern.
Chapter 6 – Willow
After another fifteen minute drive, we pulled up to a large house that looked like a mansion.
Okay, maybe not that large, but his house could easily take up a whole row of town houses like the one I lived in with my parents.
“Oh my God, how many bedrooms are there in your house?”
“Seven of them.” He shrugged. “That doesn’t include my office and conference room.”
I cocked an eyebrow and turned to him. “Since when do houses need conference rooms?”
“Since I began using it most days for my business,” he answered, without missing a beat. “It lets me work more from home quite often, so I can be available for Ariel.”
“Oh.”
Darien met my eyes for a few more seconds, and I felt the heat trickle up my cheeks.
“You’re not going to ask what business?”
“No. I don’t want to seem nosy.”
He chuckled. And I looked out the window to hide my face.
“I’m the owner of Thrilling Enterprises. We do a lot of contracts for tech companies and provide computer engineering for high end companies.”
“I’ve heard of Thrilling Enterprises!”
As soon as I said it, I felt dumb for being so excited. But I couldn’t believe it.
Holy shit, he was the owner of Thrilling? That meant that this man sitting arms’ length from me was probably a billionaire.
How did someone like me end up sitting in a car next to him?
I guess sometimes even billionaires slum it at strip clubs, I immediately answered myself, in my thoughts.
“You look shocked,” he said.
I just shook my head.
We got out of the car and Ariel raced past me, grabbing my hand to drag me along.
A few seconds later, I was standing at the doors of a very wealthy man’s house. I was going to get a glimpse into the personal life that barely anyone got to see, the life of the super rich, who had not a care or worry in the world…
I got distracted by looking way up to the top of the carved stone archway, until Darien pressed a roll of bills into my hand, along with a set of house keys.
“Huh?”
It was all I could think to utter. Other than for the few minutes last night that I was around Darien, I wasn’t used to having money shoved at me.
“I have to go. I’ll leave it to Ariel to show you around. She’s a smart kid. Lunch will be in about thirty minutes. I have chefs put out the food in the dining room.”
I was caught off guard by the fact that he had chefs. But everything about this man caught me off guard. The warmth of his voice lingered around me, making my knees feel weak.
Stop it, Willow. He’s your boss. Nothing else. He’s obviously got a woman stashed around somewhere. Or a whole bunch of them.
“Okay. Thank you, Mr. Thrilling.”
He held up his hand. “It’s just Darien.”
“Where are you going, Daddy?” Ariel demanded.
He got down on one knee so they were eye to eye. “Daddy has a super special meeting with some clients. Remember what we talked about, with Daddy’s work?”
Ariel rolled her eyes as only a seven year old could. “I’m the most important thing,” she recited in a sing-song voice, “and most of your nights are just for me, but every now and then you have to leave to do
some stupid work thing.”
Darien laughed. “You weren’t supposed to quote me on that ‘stupid work thing’ part, but yeah, that’s it.”
He pulled her close and kissed her forehead.
“Be a good girl and don’t stray too far from Miss Willow. She’s a nice lady.”
Darien flashed me one more grin before he turned around and headed for his car. Ariel and I waved from the front porch.
After he had driven out of sight, Ariel turned to me with a pout on her little mouth. “You won’t be mean to me, will you?”
“No, of course not,” I said, laughing. “We’re going to have a lot of fun! Come on, show me around, and maybe instead of regular lunch we’ll order a huge cheesy pizza.”
Ariel jumped up and down. “Yay! Pizza!”
Chapter 7 – Willow
This house was amazing.
Ariel and I ran down the halls, peeking into all the rooms, but the best part was the back yard. The pool was covered, but there were fruit trees and a garden back here with all my favorite flowers.
“I love the purple flowers!” Ariel said as she picked one and gave it to me.
I knelt down and slid it over her ear into her hair.
“This is called a lilac,” I told her. “It’s pretty and smells really good. It even matches those cute light brown eyes.”
“You’re nice!” Ariel giggled.
“How old are you, Ariel?”
I stood back up and walked back toward the house.
“I’m seven years old. Daddy says I’m mature for my age!”
I held her hand. “That you are.”
“Hey, wait.”
She slipped out of my hand and ran into some bushes. I looked, but the bushes covered her up and I didn’t see where she was going.
“Ariel?”
She didn’t respond. I gave the kid a few seconds.
“Ariel?”
Now I started to worry─ anything could’ve happened. A bee could’ve stung her, a kidnapper may’ve grabbed her. I had a flash of that night, when I first heard that Sam was in an accident. If anything happened to Ariel…
“Ariel!” I yelled. “This isn’t—”
She tackled my waist from behind and held out her hands, with three huge strawberries inside of them.
I sighed and wrapped my arms around her. “You worried me! No running off like that unless I know where you’re going.”
“Sorry,” she said, pouting.
She sure knew how to put that pout on.
“Well, come on, it’s time for lunch!” I said, taking Ariel’s hand and popping a strawberry in my mouth.
“Let’s not disappear like that again, okay?” I reminded her.
“Okay, Miss Willow!”
She skipped alongside me as we made our way back into the house.
Ariel ran to her mini-playground and sat on some swings.
“Push me, please, Miss Willow!” she requested.
I sighed and went over to push her. Looking after Ariel was like a dream. She brought me peace during this time.
Maybe when Sam wakes up, I can push him on the swings too. Yeah, he’d think I was corny, but I’ll sit his ass right down here and push him.
Ariel’s bright blond hair swayed in the wind as she went up and dipped back down.
Her airy chuckles and laughs made my day. Darien had such a nice kid.
It made me wonder if I would ever be a mother. I couldn’t even believe I had thought that. I had never wanted to be a mother.
Of course, with that thought in my head, I wasn’t paying attention, and when Ariel came back toward me, I was knocked back.
“Agh!” I cried out.
Oops, that was my bad. There I was, being a clutz again.
“Miss Willow!” Ariel jumped off her swing and knelt down next to me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, pulling myself up.
Ariel pulled on my arm.
“Come on,” she said. “After a fall like that, you need to eat. Daddy always said that if you ever get hurt, make sure you eat to regain your strength!”
She set her hands on her hips, clearly confident in her father’s wisdom.
I laughed.
“Well then, I guess we’d better eat!”
Ariel brought me into the dining room. It looked like something out of a magazine that showcased expensive furniture for homes just like these.
It was insane. He had so many bedrooms, but it was only him and his daughter. Unless some of his workers lived here?
I sat down next to Ariel, and she pointed at the seat at the end of the table.
“That’s where Daddy sits!” she said. “He’s like the king, and I’m the princess.”
“Definitely seems like something fit for royalty.”
The chefs came out with their plates of food and sat it down on the table in front of us. I thanked them, but they barely nodded as they scurried back to the kitchen.
I’d forgotten real food smelled like this. With my life being so crazy recently, all I’d eaten were cheap hamburgers and French fries.
I took up my fork and was ready to chow down until my phone rang and vibrated against my hip.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hi, is this Ms. Reign?”
“Yes, who’s calling?” I asked.
“Hello, Ms. Reign, this is the Adventist Hospital, we’re calling to notify you that the expenses quoted to you were wrong. That amount was only applicable to insurance coverage.”
I straightened in my seat and moved the salad around on my plate while Ariel chowed down. I hadn’t actually heard any real numbers, but they probably thought I was my mom. I didn’t correct them; I might actually get some information this way.
“So does that mean it’s actually cheaper?”
“Well, actually it will come out to be about twenty percent higher.”
I dropped my fork. “What?”
This was insane. She rolled off a list of numbers on the phone by way of explanation, but they were too much. I’d have to strip twenty four hours a day, seven days a week in order to bring that in. That still probably wouldn’t be enough.
And then she told me that if they didn’t get the first payment of thirteen thousand dollars in two weeks, then they would no longer be able to treat Sam.
They’d just let my brother die? Over money?
“I’ll… have to think about this and call you back later,” I told the woman on the phone.
“Okay,” she said, saying it more like a question than a sentence.
I was sure she was thinking, What is there for her to call me back about?
And there really wasn’t anything. I just hated feeling so powerless, and kept hoping that some new answer I hadn’t thought of would come to me.
“Are you okay, Miss Willow?” Ariel asked, looking up at me with big eyes, her fork frozen in the air where she was holding it in front of her mouth after just having taken a bite.
“I hope so,” I told her, and willed myself to try to be strong for her sake.
Chapter 8 – Darien
I spent a good few minutes in my car, staring at my own front door as if I was afraid to go inside.
She was in there. Willow.
I wanted her, and I couldn’t have her, which was not a feeling I was used to. I usually got what I wanted, by whatever means necessary.
But my little girl was in there too, and I knew she missed me. So I got out of the car and grabbed my metal briefcase. Before I could even get to the door, Ariel came springing out of the house and smothered me in a hug. She was dressed in her nightgown, and still slightly damp from a recent bath.
“Daddy, you’re home! Welcome home!” she said, excitedly. “Will Miss Willow be staying? She’s so nice. We had so much fun together.”
“We’ll see. Miss Willow is a wonderful person, isn’t she?”
Willow was still standing in the doorway with her hands together, waiting patiently.
I went up the st
airs and smiled. “I hope things went as well as Ariel says.”
“Yes, Ariel is the most well-mannered kid I’ve ever seen. How did you do it?”
He didn’t answer me, probably thinking it was a rhetorical question in the form of a compliment. But I was seriously wondering. Wasn’t there a mom in the picture?
We walked inside the entrance corridor, and Ariel ran ahead and made a bee-line for the stairs.
“I’ll be in my play room, you two!”
“Wait a minute, little miss!” Willow got down on one knee. “Remember what we said about waiting up for your Daddy?”
Ariel skipped back to her. “That I could only stay up waiting until nine o’clock?”
“Right.” Willow nodded solemnly. “And what time is it now?”
“Um…eight forty?”
“Right. So, how much time will you have to play?”
Ariel scrunched up her face, thinking about it. “Twenty minutes?”
I folded my arms and glanced at Willow, who looked at Ariel with as much care as I did.
“That’s right. Good answer. Twenty minutes until lights out,” Willow agreed. “But do you want your Daddy to read you a story?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Ariel beamed up at me.
“So, what if we say ten minutes to play, and ten minutes for a story and bedtime snuggles?”
“Okay, Miss Willow.” She kissed Willow on the cheek, then called over her shoulder, “See you in ten minutes, Daddy!”
I raised an eyebrow as Willow straightened from her crouched position. “Bedtime snuggles?”
Willow laughed. “Hugs, kisses, that sort of thing.”
“Of course. Bedtime snuggles are─” Keep your cool, Thrilling. “─great.”
“I…um, you didn’t tell me when her bedtime was, or how late you’d be, and since tomorrow’s a school day, I didn’t think she should stay up any later than nine.” She glanced up at me hesitantly, through those thick lashes. “She tried to get me to promise to let her stay up until you got home, but I wasn’t about to walk into that trap!”
I smiled wryly. “Yes, she can be too clever for her own good sometimes!”
