9. Kat

Chapter 9

I walk up the endless flights of stairs in a daze.

I just did that. I took a second job where I’m going to live with a man I’ve apparently developed a crush on over the last few weeks.

So much for never being at the mercy of another man…

But that’s not exactly true. I’m not at his mercy the way I was with Carter. I’m his employee, not his property. Honestly, I can’t imagine Nathaniel would ever be anything like Carter; he just doesn’t seem the type. But I guess you can never really be sure of that kind of thing. I never would have thought Carter could.

We’d dated all throughout high school and into college, and I’d missed every red flag until one of them decided to smack me right in the face.

So maybe I’m not the best judge of character.

Regardless, I have a new job that I start tomorrow.

Nathaniel had told me to call him in the morning, and we would work out the details of my move if that’s what I chose to do. I’d said I’d take the job but hadn’t been one hundred percent sure about moving, though I’m leaning toward it.

I’ll sleep on it.

I fish my keys from my bag and check the time on my phone.

How the heck is it only two in the afternoon? It definitely feels like it should be later.

When I finally reach my floor, I’m damn near dead on my feet, ready to sit and do nothing for a while. Maybe I’ll take a nap. I have a little while before dinner still, and lord knows I could use it.

Stopping dead in the middle of the hallway, my eyes go to my door only to find it’s not there.

What the hell?

I rush forward, stopping in the doorway to find my door is, in fact, there, but not the way it should be.

It hangs off the hinges, the wood of the doorframe busted up and littering the floor.

Unable to stop myself, I step over it, making my way inside despite the urge to turn back around. My eyes dart around my apartment, desperate to understand. Everything’s a mess, and as I make my way deeper inside, it’s as if my brain can’t make sense of what I’m seeing.

What happened here?

The cushions of my couch lie littered on the floor. Every cabinet in the kitchen is open, the contents littered on the counters and floor, and both my fridge and freezer doors hang open.

I stop as the sound of cracking glass under my feet echoes around the eerily silent kitchen.

Turning in place, I survey the room, and it finally clicks.

Someone broke in.

Someone was in my flat…

Maybe they still are.

Without hesitation, I turn back, running from my apartment as my heart lodges in my throat, threatening to choke me.

Why would someone do this?

Back in the hall, I look at the other units around me, curious if I was the only one broken into, but find the rest of them seem to be untouched.

Who would do something like this, and why to me? It’s not as if I have anything worth taking, and I don’t talk to anyone. Nobody but Nathaniel knows where I live.

I’d like to say it’s random, a chance break-in that I happen to be the victim of, but I’m fourteen floors up. What are the odds someone would decide to climb all of those stairs just to break into my flat?

My hands shake as I dig into my purse, searching for my phone. I back up until I hit the wall opposite my door. I should leave, go back downstairs, and call…

Nobody.

I have nobody to call.

With my back against the wall, I slide down it until I’m seated on the floor staring at what's left of my front door, and I feel the first tear roll down my cheek. Another follows, and I make no move to wipe them away.

I don’t have friends or family in the city. Hell, even in the state. I know I need to call the police and report this, but I can’t. For the first time since coming here, I feel well and truly alone. Before, it had felt freeing, but now…

With trembling fingers, I pull up the contact of the one person I think might care and press the call button.

“Hello,” his voice carries through the phone, and something about it is calming, even if he’s not here. “Kat?”

A choked sob works its way out of my mouth, but no words come out.

“Kat, what's wrong?” he demands, and I can hear the sharp edge in his tone. It should piss me off. Who is he to demand anything from me? But it doesn’t; instead, it gives me enough push to speak.

“I’m sorry,” I cry, gasping for air with each word. “I need help, and I didn’t know who else to call.”

I’m not sure how long it took Nathaniel to get to me, but it felt like I hung up, and he was there. One second, I was staring at my broken door, and the next, he was there, crouched down on the floor in front of me, blocking it from my view.

I don’t remember calling the police—hell, I don’t know if he did it or I did—but they arrived not long after. Nathaniel tucked me into his side as they asked me questions, but I didn’t have anything useful to offer them.

I have no idea who would do this, if anything was missing, or when it could have happened since I’d been gone since the early morning.

Nathaniel gave them his card so they could call should they need anything else before he ushered me down the stairs and back into the car. Only it’s not the same limo that Vincent usually shuttles them around in.

He walks me to the passenger side, opens the door for me and waits for me to climb in before closing it and moving around to the driver's side.

It’s not until he pulls away from the curb that I realize I’d just been so close to him. I’d been too dazed before, but it was probably for the best.

“Where’s Addison?” My voice is quiet, hardly more than a whisper, and I hate that this has shaken me so much.

“At the house with Vince. We’d just arrived when you called, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to find when I got here. I thought it best to leave her there.”

I nod because that makes sense. It’s not like I gave him much information. Bringing her could have put her in danger, and she didn’t need to see me like this. She’s only five. She doesn’t need to know what a dark place the world can be; she deserves all the happiness.

“I’ll have movers come tomorrow and bring your things back to the house.”

“What? No, that’s not necessary. Really, you’ve done enough already,” I rush to say, but he’s shaking his head even before I’ve finished.

“Nonsense, you're not coming back here alone.” He cuts his gaze to me, and I see that he won’t take no for an answer. Not that I can argue now. I hadn’t even thought about that, but now that I have…

I don’t want to ever go back there, let alone by myself.

“None of my stuff is packed.”

“They can take care of it.”

Well, I guess that settles it then. I’d been unsure if moving in was my best bet, but now I’m happy for the option. Unsure what else to say, I remain quiet as he drives us back to his house, where I’ll now live and work.

What a day.

The silence isn’t uncomfortable. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. Despite all that’s happened, I find comfort in Nathaniel’s presence. He’s been nothing but kind to me since I met him, and when I had nobody, he didn’t hesitate to come to my rescue.

Crap.

As if I didn’t have a big enough crush on him already.

Holy shit.

When Nathaniel said he would provide me with a room, I imagined his house was big. It had to be to offer someone a whole room, right? I mean, I’d seen his suits, his limo, his driver, and, oh my god, his office.

Let's not forget the fact that he’s paying me double what I make at my dream job, where I’m making more money than I ever dreamed of, and just to take care of Addison for a few hours a night until he’s home.

It all sounded too good to be true, which is one of the reasons I was hesitant to accept. I mean, what if I ended up dead or locked in his fucking basement for the next twenty years?

Alright, maybe I’ve been watching too many unsolved mystery shows.

Still, you can never be too careful, and with my past, I don’t really trust my judgment with men. First with Carter, and then there was that one night…

Nope. Don’t go there. I didn’t know, but they did. That’s on them, not me.

In the end, it was Addison that swayed me—you know, before someone broke in.

Nathaniel said he was struggling to find a nanny who was a good fit for her. Over these last few weeks at the summer program, Addison has told me all about the nannies she's had and the ones she's seen her daddy interview.

She didn’t like any of them.

It broke my heart to hear how many nannies she’s had, how much she disliked them, and how much she just wished she had a mom like other kids her age.

I can’t give her a mother, despite what she might wish, but I could give her a nanny who cared.

Pulling up to Nathaniel’s house really let’s me know how much I underestimated his wealth. It’s not a house; it's a fucking mansion. Complete with one of those huge iron gates, they, of course, have a giant L worked into the metal, and they open automatically as the car approaches.

I’ve seen the gates a lot in the past. Carter had those around his house, and so did…

Nope stop that I need to stop going back there.

What have I gotten myself into?

Nathaniel pulls around the circle drive to the front door, and I can’t even bring myself to care what I must look like with my face damn near pressed to the glass as I try to comprehend what I’m seeing.

This house is bigger than the building I lived in; hell, it might be bigger than the school.

The driveway circles around the front, where two large French glass doors stand, as what I can only assume is the front door. Large pillars are on each side, and above it is another level that has the same set of doors, only slightly smaller. Every window is lit, and my god, there are a lot of windows. I don’t even want to think about what their electric bill might be, especially with the lights outside.

The house appears as if it’s made of bricks, but instead of the usual red color I’m used to, these are a light brown, almost sandy. The roof is dark, just like the driveway, and it makes the house almost look like it’s glowing. If I had to guess based on the windows, it has to have at least three stories, maybe even more in some areas.

What kind of house has this many stories? It’s like their own apartment complex, but way nicer.

Mansions in Maine are clearly not the same as New York mansions…

A secondary building is connected to the main one, but I can’t tell if it’s just an extension or maybe a garage. I’ve never seen a garage that looked this nice, though, so maybe not.

I haven’t even seen the inside, and already, this house is telling me I’m way out of my league.

Honestly, if it weren’t for me having nowhere else to go right now, I’d probably tell Nathaniel I’ve made a mistake…or that he has. There’s no way he wants me here.

I look over at him with wide eyes and find him smiling at me a moment before he exits the car, leaving me alone.

I guess I should probably follow him. Either that or I can just stay here in the car.

Even the car’s too expensive for you.

I shake my head with a laugh at the thought, but it’s true.

I’ve hardly gotten out of the car before a tiny wrecking ball slams into me. I clutch the door frame to stay upright and smile down at Addison, whose face is buried in my stomach as she holds onto me for dear life.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I say with a chuckle, unable to hide my amusement. With the way she’s reacting, you’d think she hadn’t just seen me an hour or two ago.

Pulling back, she looks up at me with a huge smile before she drops her arms from around my waist, practically vibrating in place.

“Come on, Ms. Kat, I want to show you my room!”

For someone so small, she has one hell of a grip, her tiny hand grasping mine as she drags me behind her toward the door.

“Oh! And you can finally meet Ruby and my brother, Dessy!” She shrieks and pulls harder, making me laugh as I quickly make my way after her.

Note to self: No heels with her.

At this rate, I’m going to fall and break my neck.

We make it to the front door at the same time Nathaniel reaches it.

“Addison, Princess, don’t pull her arm off,” he says, shaking his head, earning a glare from her as we pass, and I can’t help but chuckle. Nathaniel Lawson might be a man of money and business, but he’s so very clearly wrapped around his daughter's finger that it's hard not to find it utterly adorable.

Addison doesn’t let up as we make it through the foyer and up the stairs. I don’t have a lot of time to look around, but what I do see is surprisingly normal. I’d half expected everything to be marble and, I don’t know, gold or something else ridiculous. Instead, I find the floors are dark wood, and the walls are painted white and gray. There’s art on the walls, plants here and there, along with other decorations. While it’s still very clear they have money, it has a homey feeling I hadn’t expected.

We make it up a set of stairs and down a long hallway with a few doors on each side before we come to a stop outside of one of them. Addison drops my hand long enough to open the door before yanking me inside with her.

Holy shit.

I’ve heard Nathaniel call Addison princess a few times now, and while it’s an adorable little nickname, I see where it comes from now.

The room is pink, everything from her bed to the walls and carpet, with gemstones that make everything look like it’s glittering when she flips the light on. Her bed is huge, way bigger than any five-year-old would ever need, and covered in fluffy blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. It sits against the far wall in the middle of the room, with a large canopy built above it. The canopy is the same oval shape as the bed and has curtains that hang down to the edges, with little fairy lights shining inside of them.

I take in the room as Addison finally releases me with a squeal of joy. She barrels into her room and drops to the floor to wrap her arms around one of the biggest and meanest-looking dogs I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Ruby! Meet Ms. Kat!”

That’s Ruby?!

Of all the dogs I could have pictured, never in my life would I have pictured this one. In my mind, Ruby was a small dog, maybe a Pomeranian or even a golden retriever puppy.

In no world would I have imagined a Doberman!

“Ruby, sit,” Nathaniel’s voice calls from behind me, startling me. I whip around to find him standing in the doorway. I hadn’t even realized he’d followed us up here.

“He’s a bit protective. I wanted to make sure he was on his best behavior,” Nathaniel tells me, clearly seeing the question in my eyes.

Hearing that makes me uneasy about having my back to him. Turning back around, I find Ruby watching me, and while I’ve never had a dog of my own or even been around very many; I don’t feel like it wants to eat me.

Is that a thing? Do dogs let you know when they are about to chew on you like a new bone?

It’s not until I bump into something that I realize I’d been moving back away from the dog and out of the room. A hand comes up to rest on my arm, and I quickly realize I didn’t back into something but someone.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, Nathaniel,” I rush to say, moving away from him.

“It’s fine, Kat, really. I know Ruby is intimidating. He’s not at all what most assume a five-year-old girl will call a pretty puppy, but he doesn’t seem to mind you.” He looks down at me almost as if in question, but if there’s a reason Ruby might like me, his guess is as good as mine. Shaking his head after a moment, he looks back to Ruby and Addison, who are still sitting on the floor. Addison is giving him belly rubs, and it’s hard to find him as scary with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his little tail wagging hard enough that it sounds like a drum on the carpet.

“And please, call me Nathan.”

I’m not sure what the sound that leaves my mouth is—half squeak, half some kind of acknowledgment, one hundred percent embarrassment.

His lips turn up even more, and…why am I sweating? How does this man have such an effect on me?

“Your room is just down the hall, first door you passed on your right.” With that, he turns and leaves, and I’m left watching him as he goes, my cheeks burning up like I’m an elementary girl with her first crush.

Only I’m not. I'm a grown-ass woman, and he’s my boss…