CHAPTERFIVE
BREANNA
Living in the same house with Flynn was driving me insane. Every single time I saw him, he seemed put out. Not only that, but there was a fire in his eyes that told me he wanted more. It was like he was pushing me away and pulling me close all at the same time. On top of that, he was my boss. And he was Seanan’s father.
It was hard to reconcile the two. Seanan was such a little imp, so playful and loving. She dashed up to me every time I walked into the room, throwing her arms around my waist. She wanted nothing more than to play Barbies in her playroom or walk down to the pond to throw bread to the ducks.
Flynn, on the other hand, I couldn’t tell what he wanted. It seemed like he had a problem with everything I did. When I talked to the cook about a better menu for Seanan, he got wind of it. He called me into his office, which felt exactly like going to see the principal in high school. The only difference was that the man I was forced to confront was hot for me.
He told me in no uncertain terms that I was to let the cook choose the menu.
“But she feeds Seanan fish sticks and potatoes. There’s never anything green on the plate,” I complained.
“I will talk to the chef.” He leveled his eyes at me, daring me to argue.
I was torn. On the one hand, I wanted to stand my ground. On the other, he was my boss, and I knew that I should just give in. There was something else in the mix, a tension that went beyond the professional. I kept picturing him nude. I knew where all his tattoos were, even though they were covered by his shirt.
I pictured myself running my hands across his chest, feeling the powerhouse of muscle that I knew was waiting for me there. He didn’t exactly encourage me, but he didn’t discourage me either. I thought I saw a similar longing in his eyes, like he would be happier just to kiss me and get it over with.
I left his office feeling confused. What he wanted or didn’t want had me tied up in knots. There was another instance where I purchased books for Seanan with my own money. He had given me strict instructions to come to him and ask for his credit card if I needed to buy anything for his daughter.
I’d planned a trip into the city just to have fun one day. I thought that since we lived so close, Seanan should get to know Dublin. We went to a park to play and ended up at a bookstore. She liked one of the picture books, so I bought it for her.
Later that evening, she was showing her father, and he asked her how she had come by her new treasure.
“Bre bought it for me,” Seanan said proudly, looking over at me as I sat opposite them on the couch.
“Did you buy it for her?” Flynn snapped, in a voice that made both Seanan and me cringe.
We knew the head of the household was upset, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why.
“Yes,” I admitted. “What of it?”
I was sick to death of all his heavy-handed dealings. If he wanted me to take care of his daughter, he had to relax and let me do my job. I wasn’t dealing in drugs or inviting boys over for makeout sessions while Seanan watched. I was trying to feed her healthy food and give her books to read. She had so many toys, I figured that a book or two would do her good.
“I specifically told you to ask for my credit card if you wanted to purchase something for Seanan.”
“We were out in the city, and you weren’t around,” I shot back. “What was I supposed to do?”
“Don’t purchase anything for her using your own money,” he commanded.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty.” I rose to my feet, feeling the full power of my anger. “I think she needs some good books to read. You buy her every piece of plastic crap imaginable, but her library is abysmal. When was the last time you took her to the bookstore?”
“I’m very busy,” he replied, overlooking my dramatic posturing.
“I know you are, that’s why you hired me,” I said. “So let me do my job.”
He met and held my eyes, communicating fury and something else: desire. I couldn’t believe it. It was as if all the fighting we were doing was laying the groundwork for passion. I had heard of fighting as foreplay before, but I’d never witnessed it firsthand. With all the energy passing through the space between us, I could have ripped off my clothing and jumped into his lap. That was the only way I knew to satisfy the outrage.
Of course Seanan was with us, so that wasn’t an option. Also, he was my boss, so I really shouldn’t cross the line. If he continued to bait me with his stubbornness, I was sure such a scene wasn’t far off.
I collected Seanan back, and we went upstairs to get ready for bed. It took me another week before I was forced to confront him. The level of sexual tension in the air was becoming unbearable.
One day, Flynn elected to work from home. I knew he was there because his office door was closed. If he was at the office, the door at the back of the mansion always stood ajar. He had no secrets from his daughter or his staff, and nothing valuable he wanted to hide. I waited until Seanan had gone down for her nap before confronting him.
“What the hell is going on?” I demanded as I barged in without a knock.
He looked up from his desk, on the phone with someone else. If it was an important call, he didn’t say. Instead, he finished the conversation casually, hanging up and looking to me for clarification.