Nanny

19

Adam

It had been a very interesting week.

As Braxton Nash's personal assistant, I handled a wide variety of duties. Sometimes they were professional, but often they dealt with his personal life. I'd run my fair share of errands and had babysat the twins on more occasions than I could count. I didn't mind it. These kinds of duties came with the job.

So when Braxton asked me to hand-hold the new nanny for the first week, I didn't mind. It was nice to get out of the office on that first day with Kate, and after that I enjoyed going down for lunch with her and the twins. And Claudette's cooking? There was nobody better in the city.

But within a few days, I realized I was enjoying my time with Kate more than just an escape from the office.

She was gorgeous. That was undeniable. I stole glances at her when she wasn't looking, because I couldn't not look at her. But it was her personality I found myself truly attracted to. She was smart, and witty in a way that constantly made me laugh.

But the way she treated me especially...

Braxton was a wonderful boss, and always treated me with respect and kindness. He was more like a brother to me than a boss. But the people he worked with? They weren't always so gracious to me. Other investment managers, celebrities, New York politicians... To them I was just the help. A personal assistant, a glorified secretary, to whom orders could be barked and desires demanded.

Kate wasn't like that. She treated me like an equal. To her, I was a real person with my own emotions and dreams. It made all the difference in the world.

I began looking forward to the hour I would spend down in Braxton's penthouse, eating lunch and playing Scrabble with Kate. I was certain she was going easy on me, but not by much. Our games were always close.

By the end of the week I realized I didn't just like her. I liked her a lot. She was more than just a daily acquaintance to me.

But the problem was that my growing feelings matched a past experience. And I remembered what I'd told Brax.

This time needs to be different.

The advice hadn't just been for him. It was a reminder for myself, too. We couldn't make the same mistake of the past.

Yet when Kate grinned at me after playing a particularly clever Scrabble word...

"Yes, of course," Braxton said into the phone on his office desk. "That won't be a problem at all. Consider it done." He hung up the phone and sighed.

"You wanted to see me?" I said.

He gestured at the phone. "That was the head of our Tokyo office. There's a problem with one of the investments. We're down."

"How much?"

"A lot. Enough that some of the investors are spooked. We're going to need to fly over there, show them my face to calm them down."

"Of course," I said automatically, even though I didn't relish the thought of flying across the Pacific on short notice. "When do we leave?"

He looked at the gold Vacheron Constantin watch on his wrist. "In a few hours. As soon as we're ready. Liam over at Blacktop Capital is coming with us. I'm sending the helicopter for him."

"Want me to go with it? Pick him up?"

"The pilot can manage. I need you to make sure Kate has everything she needs for this weekend. I feel bad dumping the twins on her on what was supposed to be her first weekend off, but..." He shrugged as if it couldn't be helped.