“Are you sure it’s OK?” I ask Dominic, thinking that perhaps I could stay until she falls asleep and then I can go home, coming earlier in the morning, so she won’t even know I didn’t sleep here.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” he shrugs. “I told you that you can use that room whenever you want and again, it is pretty late. Stay.”
The word stay reverberates, ping-ponging from him to me, then back at him again. I wonder if he would be saying the same thing if it wasn’t for Marley. Maybe it doesn’t matter at all. Maybe I am exactly where I need to be, and I need to stop questioning fate.
“OK,” I say, letting go.
I’ve been keeping away from him all this time. I know we can’t just stay like this. It has to end. We need to bring this attraction to the surface, so we can address it properly. After all, aren’t we two adults?
All three of us take a seat at the kitchen table and Marley starts retelling our day, while Dominic is having dinner.
“You know, this is really good,” he points at his plate with his fork.
I look at Marley. The look of pride on her face is priceless. She continues to tell him the entire recipe, and the interest he expresses is astonishing. The more time I spend with him and Marley together, I realize that the Dominic Hart that resides here, in this home, is not the same man outside of it. This is the side of himself that he is keeping hidden from everyone else, apart from Marley.
After he finishes dinner, he tells Marley that it’s time for bed. My intention is to stay behind in the kitchen and clean up, but she surprises me by taking me by the hand.
“Can Lilly come, too?” she asks innocently, as her two little hands hold both mine and Dominic’s.
It wouldn’t be the first time I put Lilly to sleep. It hasn’t happened many times, just a few but this time is different. She wants us both there, and I feel like an intruder.
“Oh, I… I’m not sure,” I say, sounding more confused than ever.
The last thing I want is for Dominic to think that I’m trying to invade his personal space here and take away from his precious time with his daughter.
“Please?” she asks again, knowing that neither of us will be able to say no.
I look up at Dominic. He shrugs, and again, a small flicker of a smile appears only for a moment, so brief that I’m wondering whether it was there in the first place.
“I’ll read and you girls will listen,” Dominic says, much to Marley’s joy.
The following hour is spent peacefully. Marley obediently goes to bed, allowing Dominic to tuck her in. He sits down on the bed next to her, while I take a seat in a small chair in the corner, away from them, but still close enough to feel like I’m truly a part of things.
While he’s reading Marley’s favorite bedtime story, I realize that I can’t take my eyes off him. The way his lips move is mesmerizing. Even the tone of his voice has changed, to accommodate for the fact that he is trying to put someone to sleep and not to sell them something worth probably a couple of millions of dollars.
Shortly after, we realize that Marley is asleep. I get up, tiptoeing out of the room first. He follows closely behind. I lead the way to the living room, where we both find each other at a loss for words. Feeling slightly awkward, I want him to know that just because Marley asked me to stay the night, it doesn’t mean I necessarily need to.
“I’ll go home,” I tell him, trying to keep it as short as possible and not go into too much detail as to why. “I can return earlier than usual, so I’m here before Marley usually wakes up.”
He pauses for a moment. I’m not sure if he likes the idea or not. I don’t see why he wouldn’t. After all, it’s being consistent with what we agreed on. Then, his response shocks me.
“Stay,” I hear him say.
My heart jumps at the opportunity to spend another night here and risk another passionate encounter with him. I know I shouldn’t want it. I shouldn’t think about it, but I can’t help it. It’s got nothing to do with the fact that he took my virginity, and everything to do with the fact that I want him. Plain and simple. I want more of what he has given me, more pleasure, more mind-blowing orgasms. More everything, but I know I can’t ask that of him.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I dare to ask.
At this point, we’ve crossed the line between employer and employee. We’re trying to hide behind it, but it has become so transparent that we barely remember where it was. We are treading dangerously close to it. Both of us.
“I’m not sure of anything anymore,” he tells me.
Suddenly, loud thunder rumbles somewhere in the distance. I frown.
“Did they say there’s gonna be rain?” I ask, feeling safer behind questions such as this one. Yet, running away is the last thing on my mind. I am once again willing to risk it all…
“I don’t know,” he murmurs as he walks over to me.
His presence is intense. All I can do is give in. Everything about this is insane. We shouldn’t be doing this. I should be running towards the door and closing it on the other end, but I choose to stay here and allow this fire to consume me completely.