Tantalizing His Obsession

Chapter 7 Under His Watchful Eye

Phoebe

Today is the day I’ve been dreading. I get up and put on my purple scrubs that have stupid angel wings on the back. I know they think it's a cute design, but it makes me feel like a pig with wings. I leave my hair down and put on some makeup. I take a deep breath, knowing today is going to suck. I grab an apple on my way out and start walking to the office. I need to grab the van.

When I walk into the office, Ashley hands me the keys. "Here's the van key, Phoebe." She then hands me a coffee. "This is for you. Thank you again for doing this. I really appreciate you handling Mrs. Yates. I know she is a handful, but it seems like she really likes you."

I smile, though what I really want to say is, it's not her; it's her damn son. Ashley pulls me in for a hug. "I really owe you, Phoebe. We are still a new business, so this means so much to us."

I hug her back and then grab my suitcase with items and the coffee and get into the van. While driving to the Yates house, I need something to put me in a good mood, so I turn on "No Bad Days" by Macklemore and Collett. I need to focus on me and have no bad days. This is what I need.

I pull up to the Yates house, and the security lets me in. I drive up and park the van. All I can think of is, I hope to God Lazarus does not open that f*****g door. I walk up and ring the doorbell, and surprise, surprise, it’s f*****g Lazarus with a big smile.

"Oh, Ms. Daniels, it’s nice to see you again."

I do a fake smile and say sarcastically, "Yeah, it’s great," then I start walking towards Mrs. Yates’ room. But Lazarus grabs my arm to stop me.

"Phoebe, can we please talk about the other night?"

I look at him. "There is nothing to talk about. Like I said, I asked you to drop it, so please drop it and forget anything ever happened." I then continue walking to Mrs. Yates' room.

When I get to Mrs. Yates’ room, I turn and see Lazarus still staring at me, but there is some emotion behind his gaze. Whatever. He just wants to use me like any other rich man. I walk into Mrs. Yates' room. She is watching her morning dramas. She looks up at me.

"Oh, Phoebe, you're here early."

I smile. "You're going to start having more care throughout the day."

She smiles. "Good, because these boys are so annoying."

I laugh and then look out her window, noticing the beautiful gardens. "Would you like to get out of your room and sit in the gardens?"

She smiles. "Yes, I would love that."

I help change Mrs. Yates into some presentable clothes since she’s only in her nightgown. As I help her walk to the gardens, I can feel Lazarus staring me down. When we get to the gardens, I set her down on a bench.

"Mrs. Yates, would you like me to pick you some flowers for your room?"

She smiles. "Oh, I would love that."

"I'll be right back with some scissors." I walk back into the house and see Donovan in the living room on his phone.

"Mr. Yates, can I please have some scissors? Your mother would like me to cut her some flowers."

He looks me up and down and smiles big. "Oh, yeah, I’ll get you some scissors." I stand there waiting, and then Donovan hands me the scissors. As I’m walking to the door, I hear Lazarus say, "Phoebe, thank you for getting my mother out of her room. She hasn’t wanted to leave."

I don’t even turn around but say, "You’re welcome." I go outside and ask Mrs. Yates which flowers she would like me to cut. She starts naming all these different flower names.

I laugh. "I’m sorry, Mrs. Yates, I don’t know the names of the flowers. How about if I walk by them, you say cut or not?"

She smiles. "Okay, Phoebe."

I walk, and she tells me what to cut as she reminisces about how she used to spend hours in the gardens. The garden is enchanting, with winding paths, colorful blooms, and a gentle breeze that makes the flowers dance. It’s peaceful here, and for a moment, I forget about all the chaos and focus on the joy this simple act brings to Mrs. Yates.

I ask Mrs. Yates, "Would you like to eat lunch in the gardens or somewhere else?"

She smiles. "Let’s eat in the dining room."

I help her to the dining room, and she sits down, eyeing me seriously. "Please make sure the food they’re going to feed me is not shit."

She then yells out, "The food better not be s**t, you hear me, boys!" I start laughing and walk into the kitchen to grab the food.

Lazarus hands me the plate. I look down at it, grimacing. "Lazarus, she is going to be pissed with this food."

He sighs. "The doctors want her to eat healthy."

I roll my eyes. "You can eat healthy and still have decent food."

I turn around and bring the plate to Mrs. Yates. She looks down at it, her face turning red. "I am not some f*****g rabbit. I am not eating this s**t!" She grabs the plate and throws it, breaking it against the wall.

Donovan walks in, hearing the crash, and I bend down to start picking up the pieces. "Mrs. Yates, would you like me to make you something to eat?"

She smiles sweetly. "Yes, dear. These boys can’t do s**t right."

I start laughing, then walk into the kitchen and throw away the plate and the food. I look at Lazarus. "Like I said, she wasn’t going to eat this."

I then ask, "Do you have chicken?"

He looks confused. "Yeah, but it’s not cooked."

"That’s fine." I go into the fridge, grab the chicken, and some vegetables, and start looking around for pans.

Lazarus asks, "What do you need?"

"Butter and a cooking pan."

He shows me where everything is, and I start cooking while he just watches me. Donovan starts laughing.

I turn to Lazarus. "This is not a f*****g cooking show. Don’t you have work to do?"

Donovan laughs even harder. "Lazarus, you’re so smooth."

I join in the laughter, and Lazarus huffs. "Yes, I do have work. I just thought you might need help, but it looks like you got it," he says, storming out.

I look at Donovan. "What got his panties in a twist?"

Donovan smirks. "Probably you."

I laugh, shaking my head, and focus on cooking. Once the chicken and vegetables are done, I plate the food and bring it to Mrs. Yates.

"Here you go, Mrs. Yates. I hope this is more to your liking."

She takes a bite and beams. "Oh, this is wonderful, Phoebe. You should teach these boys how to cook."

I grin. "Glad you like it."

After lunch, I head back to the kitchen, only to find Lazarus and Donovan both in there. I look at them, feeling a bit cheeky. "You both can eat the food too, you know."

Donovan's eyes light up. "Thank god, it smells so good."

I make them each a plate and take it to the dining room so they can sit with their mother. Lazarus takes a bite and his eyes widen. "Holy s**t, Phoebe, this is good."

Donovan chimes in. "Yeah, you need to fire the cook because this is real cooking."

I blush, and Mrs. Yates adds with a smirk, "See, boys? This is how you cook a good meal. Take note!" I laugh, enjoying the moment. After Mrs. Yates finishes her meal, I grab her plate and head back into the kitchen. As I do, Lazarus follows me. Before I can react, he pushes me against the wall and starts making out with me. He grabs my ass which makes me moan. For a moment, I just go with it because it feels so damn good, but then reality hits me and I push him back.

"No, Lazarus," I say firmly.

He looks at me with a determined glint in his eye. "Watch me. I will make you mine."

I just laugh, trying to hide the mixture of emotions swirling inside me, and walk back to Mrs. Yates. I take her to her room, read her the same book she loves, check her vitals, and give her the medicine she needs.

She looks at me with gratitude. "Phoebe, thank you for staying. I know I am difficult, but I appreciate you."

I give her a hug. "Mrs. Yates, you're not difficult. You're stubborn, which has helped you so much in life. You are one strong woman."

She smiles, her eyes softening. "I had to be strong. When you're the wife of an Order member, you have no choice. I hope my boys find someone like that. I just want to see them happy, but they are so focused on keeping their father’s legacy alive, they forget about themselves."

She drifts back to sleep, leaving me with her words echoing in my mind. The Order, their father's legacy—there's so much I don't know about this family.

Lazarus

As I storm out of the kitchen, I'm fuming and frustrated. Phoebe has this way of getting under my skin, and I can't stand it. But I can't deny the attraction, the pull she has over me.

Donovan walks in, still grinning. "You look like you got your panties in a twist."

I glare at him. "Shut up, Donovan."

He laughs. "Just saying, if you want her, you better step up your game. She’s not like the others and you better brand her before the Greek’s do."

I know he's right, but admitting that is a different story. I head back to my office, determined to figure out how to handle this. Phoebe isn't just some girl; I need her and I dont know if I can wait much longer. She is mine and she will find out soon enough.

Phoebe

After Mrs. Yates falls asleep, I quietly leave her room. As I walk down the hallway, I can't shake off the feeling of Lazarus's lips on mine. It was intense, and part of me wanted more. But I can't let myself get involved with him. He's dangerous, and I have to stay focused on my job.

I head back to the kitchen to clean up and find Donovan still there, munching on some leftovers.

"Hey, Chef Phoebe," he teases. "You got any more of that magic food?"

I chuckle. "Only if you help clean up."

He grins. "Deal."

As we clean, Donovan chats about random things, making me laugh with his goofy comments and stories. It's a nice distraction from the turmoil in my head.

After we finish, I gather my things and prepare to leave. "Thanks for the help, Donovan."

"Anytime, Phoebe. And hey, if Lazarus gives you any more trouble, just let me know. I'll knock some sense into him."

I smile, appreciating the gesture. "I'll keep that in mind. See you tomorrow."

As I drive to the office, I can't stop thinking about the Yates family and the complicated web I've found myself in. But for now, I need to focus on getting some rest and preparing for another day.