Hearts of Darkness: A Valentine's Day Bully Romance Collection

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

My mother smiles at me. She knew all along. Through all my ranting, she knew a goddess was waiting for me.

  “So, not a gnarly troll?” I ask.

  Mom shakes her head.

  “Or a frail grandmother?” Elody adds.

  I laugh at her comment, even though I don’t think it was a joke, exactly. Looking at her, I think I’d laugh at just about anything coming from her pouty mouth.

  “Why don’t the two of you have a seat in the parlor and get acquainted? I’m sure you have much to discuss. Like house rules,” Mom mutters.

  Elody reaches down for her bags and I rush to her side. Dear lord. She smells like flowers and strawberries.

  “Let me get those for you,” I reach for the strap on one of them and grab the handle of the rolling suitcase.

  “Actually, August, that won’t be necessary,” Mom says. “Carl came in early to get things prepared for our trip. Carl is our butler,” Mom explains to Elody who nods in understanding. I let go of the strap, but continue to stand next to her.

  “Do you have other staff?” she asks.

  Mom walks toward the parlor, no doubt she has better things to do than entertain the staff. “We have three housekeepers, a chef, and Carl. None are live-in. When Auggie was younger and I needed someone to clean up behind his messes they were here all the time.”

  Elody smiles at my nickname, and I swear she’s holding back a laugh. If she wasn’t so hot, I’d be pissed. Thanks a lot, Mom, for making me sound even more like a child.

  “August,” I correct her.

  “Fine, then. To answer your question, Elody, the housekeepers come two days a week—Monday and Thursday. Carl is available whenever you need him, though one days’ notice is preferable for him.”

  Once we’re at the parlor entrance, Mom gestures for us to go in, but she doesn’t. “I’ll leave you now,” she says. “Take your time. I have a ton of packing to do. When you’re ready, we’ll give you a quick tour and show you your sleeping quarters.”

  Elody nods, and Mom rushes off.

  “So, this is a first for me,” Elody says as we stand at the entrance.

  “What’s that?” I ask.

  “The children I typically nanny for are much younger than you are.”

  Children. And there it is, folks.

  When she looks at me, she sees a fucking child, even though I’ve got at least six inches on her. The silence is so awkward, and I have to wonder if introductions are always like this for her. I’d guess not, since the kids she typically cares for are running around throwing Legos at each other.

  She looks more like my hot date visiting for the first time than a woman who is here to babysit.

  I look her over, and she appears uncomfortable. She has pink cheeks, her eyes look around the room quickly, and her breathing is shaky.

  I’m on the same page.

  Her hair is as dark as mine, near black, and it falls down her back.

  That back.

  She has a dip there, atop what I imagine is a beautiful ass. Her brown eyes seem to sparkle. Her skirt is loose, but it’s above the knee. I wonder why in the hell my parents would hire someone that looks like her for their horny teenaged boy.

  “Okay. Let’s have a seat,” she says and I follow her to the couch. “So, what should I know?” she asks as she takes a seat next to me. Her short skirt rises to reveal tan thighs.

  Holy fuck, is she kidding me right now? You don’t bring thighs like that into a sixteen-year-old boy’s house and call yourself the nanny. I grab a pillow from the couch and slide it over my lap because some things you just can’t control.

  “Anything?” she presses.

  I lift my head up to look at her, but my brain will never forget those smooth thighs. She’d deck me if I reached out and touched them.

  “Oh...um...uh. Mom told you about all the help we have around here so there isn’t much for you to do.” Besides helping me with my virginity problem. “That’s why I don’t think I even need a nanny. No offense.” I press my lips together. “I have my own car so I don’t need a ride to school. The silver Camaro is mine.”

  She bites her lip and looks like she is trying not to smile. “Of course it is.”

  Elody biting her lip does something to me. My insides flip, but I smile because I can’t do anything else. Her lips are pink and pouty and look so soft. She also has a beauty mark above her lip. She’s so far from the old lady I was dreading. I mentally take back everything I said before. I wish she was old because now I have to live for the next two months in sweats, or with a pillow covering my junk, while I fantasize about all of the things I want to do to my nanny.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.

  She stares at me and pushes her hair behind her ear.

  Holy shit.

  “Nothing.” She licks her lips, and I swear it takes everything I have not grab and kiss her.

  I look around the room and say nothing else. I just need a five-second break from her face.

  “How old are you?” I ask. Even though I’ve been told I’m not supposed to ask a woman her age, I’d guess she’s pretty young.

  “Twenty-four. Will that be a problem?”

  “You don’t look twenty-four.”

  She nods. “Yeah, I get that a lot. Everyone assumes I’m in high school, but you don’t look sixteen, either.” She leans back against the couch and I copy her.

  “Yeah, I hit six feet last year,” I say. “Did you know I was sixteen? I mean, before you took the job?”

  She shakes her head. “When you came down the stairs I wondered why a nearly grown man needed a nanny.”

  “That’s what I tried to tell my mother.” She gets it, why can’t my mother?

  She smacks the couch. “I have an idea,” she says with an excited look.

  “I’m listening.” My eyes widen with interest.

  “How about we look at this from a different angle? Instead of your nanny, look at me as someone to hang out with. I’m sure it gets lonely in this huge place, and if you need me for adult stuff, well, I can do that too.”

  Like sex? “Like buying me alcohol?”

  She pulls her head back and looks at me like I’m crazy. “Uh, no. I was thinking more like if you’re in distress or need a note for your teacher.”

  I wave my hand at her. “Don’t worry, my folks don’t care if I drink. You can’t tell by her accent, but my mother grew up in Europe, and they are much more lax about teen drinking. Ask her.”

  “I most certainly will.”

  “Then it’s settled. We’ll be buddies.” I put out my hand out for her to shake, her skin is soft and smooth.

  She looks around the room. “So what’s there to do in Aspen in February?”

  I shrug. “Mostly winter shit, I mean stuff.”

  “You can say shit, August.”

  I let out a breath of relief.

  “Hmm. I don’t really enjoy the cold,” she admits.

  “Okay. Well, we have a basement full of shit—a bowling alley, movie theater, indoor pool and jacuzzi. You’ll never be bored.”

  Carl steps into the doorway and clears his throat. I guess it’s time for me to go.

  I say goodbye to Elody and take the pillow with me. Memories of those thighs mean a long shower in my immediate future and a phone call to Clyde. I need to tell him I’m in love with my nanny.

  ELODY

  2002

  “MISS ACOSTA, PLEASE follow me.”

  I turn to see an older man at the entrance of the parlor. He’s dressed in a black super-formal tux with a bow tie. The only thing he’s missing is the accent. Carl.

  I grab my purse and follow him. The Mitchell estate is enormous, and I may need a map to find my way around. August seems nice. Intense, but sweet. I don’t have much experience with teen boys in my work, especially boys that look and sound like grown men. With his parents gone all the time he obviously has had to grow up fast.

  The oldest kids I ever nannied were twelve, but I can do this. />
  I continue to follow Carl down the halls. There are more windows than walls, and the view is to die for. After turning and twisting down one long hall after another, he stops in front of a door.

  “Right this way, miss.” He says and steps aside to let me pass through the door. Once I do, it takes all I have inside me to keep my mouth from falling open. My new quarters are more of a house than a room. I have all of the necessities—a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom area, and I’m assuming the hall leads to the bathroom and closet. The décor is like the rest of the house—muted blues and grays, wood walls, and floor to ceiling windows.

  “Good day,” Carl says, leaving me to my gawking.

  My view is of the outdoor pool with another structure connected to it. A pool house? The grass is lush, and I see another part of the house that’s nearly identical to the one I’m in. The mountains are the perfect backdrop. It’s comforting to know the house is one square, otherwise, I’d spend most of my time anticipating a mountain man or animal staring back at me.

  “I take it the accommodations are acceptable.”

  The unfamiliar voice causes me to spin around. I would know anywhere that this man is August’s father. He has a serious expression. His features are more mature, but the same intense blue eyes stare at me. His suit falls on him in tailored perfection.

  “Mr. Mitchell?”

  He nods. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Acosta.”

  “You, too. Your home is spectacular, sir.”

  He gives me a crisp nod and stuffs his hands into his pockets before he paces the room. He stops at the windows facing the pool. I follow him.

  “The house is basically three connected rectangles,” he begins. “Directly across from you is the first floor of the other wing. There’s another suite like yours, and if you look up there...”

  My eyes follow him to the second floor and I see August staring down at us. He doesn’t even try to hide. Most people would turn away or pretend to be doing something else. Not him, he stands rooted in place watching us. Watching me.

  Mr. Mitchell clears his throat. “As you can see, that’s our son’s room.”

  Note to self: Always get dressed in the bathroom.

  I swivel around to my bed and then back to the window, thinking about August’s view. He didn’t strike me as a stalker. “Um, do these windows have curtains?”

  “We never had a need for them, but should you prefer it, just let Carl know, and we could have something temporary put up right away.” Mr. Mitchell seems confused by the request.

  I nod.

  “Okay, before I get out of here, do you have any questions? You signed the two-year contract with my wife?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “We’re on the home stretch with our son. He’ll be eighteen before that time, and he’ll have no need for nannies or chaperones.”

  I want to ask him what they do for a living to leave their son in the care of others so often, but I know it isn’t my place.

  “Okay.” He lets out a heavy sigh. “The important numbers are on the fridge, so are the times and dates that the help comes around. We’ll be out of your hair in a couple of hours.”

  I nod again. “I do have one question. August mentioned that you and your wife allow him to drink. Is that true?”

  He shrugs. “Sure, but nothing in excess and only at home.”

  “I just wanted to make sure. Kids make up things, you know.”

  He presses his lips together. “I should mention that our son is something of an old soul. My wife teases him that he came out of the womb a middle-aged man.” He laughs, but there is tension in his eyes. He looks away from me, then back. “I don’t think we could leave him alone as much if he wasn’t.” His eyebrows hit his forehead. “Or maybe our leaving so much is the reason he’s grown up so fast.” He lets out a long, heavy sigh. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to get settled in, we’re happy to have you.” He smiles.

  “Thanks. Have a safe trip and see you in a couple of months.”

  He looks around the room then at me one more time and walks out the door.

  AN HOUR LATER, I’M in the only bathing suit I have—a black two-piece.

  Note to self: Purchase a one piece.

  I grab a large towel from my en suite bathroom and wrap it around myself. I remember August saying something about the jacuzzi being in the basement. Shit, now I just have to find it.

  The house is so quiet, it actually feels empty.

  Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell’s tour never happened, so I’m on my own.

  Part of me wants to go to August’s room and see if he wants to start hanging out tonight. I suddenly feel so sad for him in this big, parentless house. I’m a new stranger entrusted with his care, and he’s basically all alone.

  Company is not what I need right now, though.

  I walk down twisting halls until I’m back on the main hall that leads to the parlor. I know this because I remember the pictures hanging on this wall. They’re paintings with bright blue, orange, and purple swirls that lead to nothing, but I still want to jump inside and ride one of the swirling waves.

  I try door after door on my way.

  “Who are these people?”

  When I get to the kitchen, I see a recessed area with a staircase. I take it down, and it ends at a dark wood door. I push it open, finally the correct door.

  Fiery flickering lights bathe the room. The temperature is set to toasty. A junior Olympic-sized lap pool and jacuzzi sit dead center. There’s a bar and sitting area on the pool deck with Adirondack chairs.

  “These people are loaded.”

  I let the towel drop as I walk over to the pool, and sit on the edge, letting my feet dip into the water.

  “Ahh, yes.”

  The heated water caresses my legs. I sink the rest of my body into the water and close my eyes. The water is deep, so I hold onto the edge and rest my head on the ledge.

  You can do this, El. These people seem nice enough. Not sure why the parents leave their kid so much that they trust strangers to take care of him. Shit, at least he has parents. You know the drill. Don’t get attached. Do your job, put in your time, and enjoy the comforts of home.

  Whenever I move to a new place and start with a new family, I have the same thought—ever the nomad. I wish it didn’t have to be like this. Will it always be?

  Even in the warm water, my body shivers.

  At least with a sixteen-year-old, you’ll have plenty of time to read books...maybe even write one.

  I let go of the edge and sink under the water, kick off, and swim to the other side. I continue freestyle stroking back and forth. When my body is properly spent, and I only have one more lap left in me, I remember the jacuzzi. I breath stroke down to the other side of the pool, and when I pop up at the other end, a pair of feet come into view. I yelp in surprise, but quickly see that the feet belong to August.

  “Hi,” he says.

  “Hi.”

  “Mind if I join you?” He pulls his T-shirt over his head, not really waiting for an answer to his question.

  “Uh, sure.”

  He dives into the water, right over my head, and does a quick lap. He’s really fast. He’s back in seconds and face to face with me—much closer than I’m comfortable with.

  His messy hair is slicked back, and his wet eyelashes make his blue eyes pop. He really is a handsome boy.

  “I was actually about to get into the jacuzzi,” I say and walk my hands to the stairs at the side of the pool. “Happy swimming.” I climb out, fully aware that I’m practically naked.

  I cross my arms over my chest, and when I look at August he’s looking at every inch of my body. The smile on his face doesn’t belong on the face of a boy his age.

  It takes a second for me to find the control for the spa, but once I do, I quickly fire up the jets. When I return, I look over to the pool and see that he hasn’t moved.

  “I take it back, you definitely look like a twenty-four-year-old to me,” he says, then give
s me a lopsided smile and returns to his laps.

  This boy is going to be a lot, I can see that I’m going to have to establish some serious boundaries. I’m not use to the kids I nanny dwarfing me. Remember, Elody, he is a kid—a very handsome, flirtatious kid. I secure my wet hair in a bun at the top of my head and sink down into the hot water. I look over one more time at August, and he’s lapping away in the pool. Satisfied that I’m no longer the focus of his attention, I close my eyes and let go.

  In this water, I’m not a girl without a home who travels from place to place to become a temporary fixture in the homes of others. In this water, I’m just any other young woman soaking in a jacuzzi. Compartmentalizing is a specialty of mine. In my line of work, it is a necessity, along with not getting too comfortable. This is one of the reasons why I’ve never taken on a contract that lasts longer than two years.

  In two years, I can get to know everyone, but it’s a short enough amount of time that I don’t let down my guard; the kids don’t age from toddlers to teens before my eyes. At the end of my contract, I simply pack all the belongings I have in the world into my two suitcases and move on. I don’t have to worry that I’ll be kicked out and discarded like a piece of trash. I’ve been through that before. It’s a pain I never want to experience again.

  “Did you fall asleep?” August asks, breaking through my mental chatter.

  “If I had, then you would have woken me up,” I say without opening my eyes. Then I feel him near me. I open my eyes to see his leg brushing mine as he crosses in front of me. I can’t ignore the fact that my stomach tingles and stirs deep within. It’s a purely physical reaction, but I feel uncomfortable, just the same.

  “Sorry, my favorite jet is over here,” he deposits himself in front of the jet catty-corner to mine and smiles. The girls at his school must go crazy for him.

  I ignore my stomach. “You could have gone around the other way.”

  He laughs. “Yeah, but this way is shorter.”

  I shake my head.

  “What? I’m all about conserving energy.” He shrugs.

  “Then you should definitely close your eyes and relax,” I reply before closing my eyes again.