In The Eye Of The Beholder

Chapter Three: Job Security

Her steps felt as though she had been weighted down the she got closer to the table. Her eyes  glued to the man currently staring her down like she was the biggest enigma of his life but at the same time blocking anyone from seeing what he was truly feeling or thinking, still Alysia could feel his confusion towards her as though she already knew him well.

"Al!" Sophia exploded out of her chair barreling into Alysia's stomach with enough force to cause a grunt to escape her as she wrapped her arms around the girl she had been separated from for the last hour. 

A chair scraping against the tiled floor had Alysia looking back up at the table, Damien was walking slowly but confidently around the table in what Alysia could only describe as a prowling manner, he was stalking towards her and she felt every inch like prey. She barely registered Stephen also standing from the table to follow after his Uncle.

His scent wasn't something she was prepared for as its warmth and spice overwhelmed her senses until she felt like every breath she took was her breathing him in, her mind felt foggy and she was beginning to feel like she should have accepted the nap Stephen offered her earlier. He stopped just a foot from her "Too close" her anxiety warned as she felt the eyes of everyone at the table pinned to them and she shuffled a step away from him with Sophia still clinging to her.

His gray eyes coolly made their way down her frame and her cheeks burned, her pale white skin painting her chest and face red. She knew that he was seeing her frizzy, braided, auburn hair hanging down one shoulder, resting against her only black dress that had certainly seen better days. Her face was free of makeup making the dark smudges under her golden brown eyes visible for all to see. She had many golden rings adorning each finger and gold-stud piercings lined her ears. Her feet fidgeted in her scuffed black flats that she had originally borrowed from Amara and never gave back once she got the nannying job.

"Al, is it?" The voice caused a low sound of alarm to slip from Alysia's lips at the unexpected jolt through her spine causing Stephen and Damien to both step closer to her with concern on their faces. 

She cleared her throat "Alysia," her cheeks warming again when her voice lacked the strength she had wanted to put it and she scolded herself for shrugging like a child as she shrunk into herself in front of him "Alysia Rivera, I am the children's nanny." She ended in a whisper as his unblinking eye contact had her nerve dying even more than it was. "Why is he staring at me like that" she fretted in her head "have I done something wrong? or maybe he believes the stereotypes about nanny and single dads" she grimaced at the thought.  

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dellario, am I in the reading? is there a reason I am needed for this?" She finally found the confidence to voice her confusion about being asked back in the room. She gasped as his hand reached out but relaxed as his hand barely skimmed the skin on her arm before he stroked Sophia's curls that were still buried against Alysia's stomach, her fingers rubbed against the static shock he had given her arm. 

"Please, Miss, is it?" His lips stretching pleasantly and suddenly her face was not burning out of embarrassment but just how stunning he was when he smiled and his gray eyes were shining silver at her, bright with hunger she didn't understand but still had her flushing warmer.

"It is Miss." Stephen supplied from behind him "She's unmarried and completely unattached, it's been a year since she went on a date." Alysia shot Stephen a "what the heck!" look for the unnecessary information dump on his uncle.

"Miss Rivera, allow me to escort you to the table? We will address everything once I've dealt with the others, yes?" Even though it was posed as a question Alysia didn't feel like the choice was truly hers as her hand slipped into his outstretched one before she could ask herself just what she thought she was doing. Sparks ignited their way across her palm as it slid into his, her eyes widening as he smiled even more at her and turned to lead her to the seat right next to his left with a gentle squeeze to her hand. She sat her into the chair as though she was fragile and precious, placing Sophia on her lap she settled in between him and Stephen, his brother moving to a different seat without even a question to his brother.

Sophia slept soundly on Alysia's lap, worn from a long day of tears and emotions too large for any seven year old. They began to discuss Evan's assets, most of his money, liquid and estates were being left in trusts for Stephen and Sophia controlled by their uncle until their "coming of age ceremonies", it was the fanciest way Alysia had ever heard someone describe an eighteenth birthday but she knew the Dellario family was some of the oldest money around and let them be with their pretenses. 

Eventually it boiled down to only being the immediate family remaining in the room "Well them and me" Alysia thought to herself still unsure of her purpose here.

"Damien" Clara's voice purred from across the table absolutely unabashed by the presence of everyone else in the room, including her own son, she bent her surgically enhanced chest over the table in front of her, her long arm reaching across to just barely dance her fingers against his sleeve. Alysia clenched her jaw at the contact not entirely certain why it bothered her so much, she chalked it up to her utter dislike of the woman. "It's been far too long, things have been so hard here since you left." her finger traced the seam of his cuff "I was so worried about the children until I heard you were coming and I knew we could rise them together, you teaching them about their heritage and me caring for them the way only their real mother can." Her finger was just about to brush the top of his hand before he caught her wrist in his fist, her eyes snapped up to his, a healthy dose of fear coating them even as she tried to shoot him a seductive smile. 

"You will refrain from touching me, uno caduto in disgrazia." He suddenly slipped into Italian and Alysia felt it was for her benefit as everyone else in the room seemed to understand what he was saying, even Clara as her face darkened. "Non perdoniamo un compagno infedele e non prenderei mai un essere simile per la mia regina." Stephen's head hung and his fists clenched at his side at whatever his uncle was saying. Alysia wasn't sure if it was his mother's actions or his uncle's words upsetting him so without a thinking she placed her hand against Damien's left forearm that was pressed heavily into the table with his anger, veins straining in his hands. 

He whipped his head around and stared at her, Alysia's cheeks lit a fiery red again. She ran her tongue nervously across her bottom lip and his eyes tracked the movement with perfect precision. "I need to get away from this man." She thought to herself wildly, she hated being out of control and this man threatened her every sense of the word. The sooner and further she was away from him the better, she knew it.

"Leave us." He almost seemed to bark out, never breaking eye contact with her as the men surrounding him moved right into action and escorted everyone, including Clara, from the room until Stephen, a sleeping Sophia, Damien, and Alysia were left alone.

"You have my attention, Miss Rivera." He smirked at her as his right hand came down on hers and trapped it against his forearm, she tried to discreetly tug it out to no avail and decided to move on to just get the meeting over.

She swallowed harshly as she tried to ignore the shooting stars flying across her skin where they touched, her skin was burning in ways she couldn't explain but it was overstimulating to attempt to formulate thoughts and feel such sensations at the same time. "I have been the children's nanny since your brother's divorce" She grimaced at mentioning it, obviously he was not a fan of Evan's ex-wife "I know that they will be moving back east to your home with you, but if I could just make one request to you, I can even give you my resume and references and you could of course discuss this with the children first too! If maybe just during the time you remained here, however long that is, could be a day or a week or month" She swallowed again as he listened unwaveringly to her ramble on with a pleasant smile on his face "If I might stay on as their nanny until you find such a time as you want to let me go."

The silence hung in the air heavily as his hand squeezed against hers and betraying the emotionless face he presented was his burning silver eyes as they consumed her visually "You're quite wrong, Ms. Rivera" He spoke softly but the hard edge to his voice belied the way they gently caressed her brain "I have absolutely no intention of letting you go anywhere."