The Nanny Affair

Tea Time

"Oh my god." I sat straight up from my pillows, a cold sweat breaking out over my body. The hazy recollection of my actions from the previous evening coming over me like a flood.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no..." I threw myself back into my blankets, hoping that if I buried my head deep enough, I could remove the unfavorable image of myself from my minds eye.

"He must think I'm an i***t," I muttered to myself. Struggling to sit up, I checked the clock on the wall. 2:30 a.m. "Great. And now I'm wide awake." Laying there for the next couple of minutes, I contemplated what to do. At first I tried rolling over, and repositioning myself so that I could doze back off.

To no avail. So, I tried watching an episode of something on my phone, but the internet wasn't connecting, and I didn't know the Wi-Fi password. This night couldn't get any worse.

Finally caving to the method I knew would work, I swung my feet from the side of the bed, hopping to the ground as gently as I could, so as to not make a sound. Earlier, when I was unpacking, I noticed how squeaky the wood of the floors could be. The LAST THING I needed right now would be to wake my employer in the middle of the night so that he could find me roaming around his house. I changed out of my clothes, opting instead for my reliable sleep shorts and tee, wanting desperately to shed the sticky sweat of my clothes.

Once I was satisfied, I was scooting out the door and down to the kitchen. I flipped the lights on, hoping that Granny kept tea in one of the cabinets. Turning on the kettle, I was rummaging lightly when I heard a chuckle from the back of the kitchen.

Whipping my head around, a light gasp escaped my mouth as I saw shirtless Ashley leaning with his hip against the doorjamb.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

"Nope," I admitted, shy in his presence. "I was hoping that I could find some tea or something." I hesitated.  "Can I get you anything?" I asked him, as he made his way to the side of the island with the breakfast chairs. 

He pulled one of them out, sitting, then resting his chin in his palm before answering. "Usually when I'm up this late, I try to find a snack to go to bed with. But tonight, the snack just ain't cutting it." His eyes were looking long into mine, the curve of his lips causing me to take a deep breath as I tried to still my nerves. "Every since I served, it's been hard to sleep."

"You were in the service?"  

He nodded, his fingers tapping against his jaw.  "Four years.  Branson and I served in the same branch.  We were Marines, and we both served tours overseas.  I thought Granny and my mom were both going to pass out when I told them I had to do an 18-month tour."  

I had never heard him speak of his mother before.  I thought it was only Granny that raised him. "What about serving overseas impacts your sleep?  I don't know that much about the effects of war..."  I felt like an i***t, but I really did want to know.

"Oh, I'm nothing exceptional."  His smile was dim in the light.  "There are people that suffered more than I could have ever imagined..."  His voice trailed, and I didn't feel it was right to push. 

"But!" He continued on.  "If you see me sleepwalking, don't be alarmed.  I do it all the time."  He laughed, mostly to himself. 

I stood there, my fingers still tapping against the cabinet door, not entirely sure where to look or how to stand or how to feel. I could tell that Ashley was a more complex person that I had initially realized. 

It also occurred to me--in that moment--that these shorts were probably not the best ones to wear in mixed company. Especially in front of my boss. I could literally feel my cheeks hanging out from beneath the cotton.

I needed pants if I was going to be staying in a house full of men. STAT. Twisting my body to an angle that would not reveal all of Victoria's Secrets, I held firm to the cabinet, trying not to wince with the uncomfortable position.

"Uhm, you want to try tea with me?" I ask, seeing the outside of a tin. "I think I see a box back there. It's a natural relaxant..." as the words were leaving my mouth, I could see the mean streak in Ashley's eyes come alive as that devil-may-care smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh yeah? I didn't think you'd need much more relaxing after earlier." The glint in his eyes had me on edge. He was teasing me with his voice, but his eyes were telling me a different story.

"About that," I started. "I should've said something sooner about not being a drinker. And I definitely should have stopped you when you handed me that second glass. It was unprofessional, and I'm sorry." I hung my head, waiting for him to chide me, or fire me, or something. I wasn't sure.

"No, gawd, don't be ridiculous." He muttered. "I kinda liked seeing the undone Hadley." He chuckled. "You have this... uptight nature about you. I think it'll work with the kids..." His eyes were trained on mine. "But with me..." he let the sentence hang. I couldn't break his stare. My mind was in an instant traveling to all of the undone places it could be, and I was desperately trying to keep my mind focused.

"With you?" I whispered, both of our voices dangerously low.

He shifted in his seat, his eyes raking over my body as he took his time answering. I could feel his desire, because I knew it mirrored mine.

"I run things a little differently around here than most folks would, Hadley. Trust is a central part of the identity of this farm. That was the third and final rule I was getting too before you blacked out on me." He was licking his lips. I was staring at them, contemplating how they would taste.

I felt my s*x clench at the thought; our mouths colliding, wondering how it would feel to have him wrapped around me, drinking me in like that whiskey from earlier. I could almost feel it, the sensation sending tiny electric prickles along my skin where I could imagine his fingers roaming...

"...And that's why I don't let them leave the farm without me. I hope you understand." He was saying, while I stood there, dazed.

"What?"

He smiled again, a finger coming to stroke his chin as he continued his unwavering stare. "I don't want you to leave the farm with the boys. If you need to leave the farm, just give me a heads up before you go. I have a lot on my plate, and the last thing I want to be worried about is my kids, or your, safety."

"My safety?" I blinked at him. "Why would you be worried about my safety?"

"You're part of the family now, like I said." His shoulders moved back and forth in a stretch over his head, "I'm responsible for you. Do as I say, and we'll be fine."

My eyes shot to his, a slight sigh escaping. "Yes, sir."

I wanted to buck a little, not really relishing the fact that he was quite so bossy. But at the same time, aroused that he would take the time to care. 

Taking the tea tin, I scooped the contents into two mugs. The kettle was making a hiss that suggested it was close to being done, so I went ahead and added sugar to both cups.

Handing the steaming mug to him, he glanced up at me. "Thanks for this," he said, bobbing the cup. "I have a hard time sleeping. Some nights I can't seem to shut down at all, so this is great. I never think of things like this." His expression had fallen, his voice darker than any other time that I had heard it.

"Why don't you sleep?" I asked before taking a sip from my mug.

He shrugged. "Stress, I guess? I worry about the kids. Worry about the business. Worry about the farm. I really don't spend that much time out here, but we were between babysitter's and Granny was putting up a fuss, so... I think that's added to it."  His eyes grew pensive as he worked his bottom lip between his teeth.  "I have a lot of demons from a past I try to forget.  And for some reason, when I'm getting my best night's sleep, that's when they resurface." 

Gulping, I listened, not entirely sure what to make of what he was telling me. "Where do you stay then? If you're not here?"

"Well, our offices are out of Nashville now. We moved everything down there after the merger about six years ago. It's only an hour away, but when I'm there, I'm so involved I don't have time to come up for air. Here, I can take it at a more leisurely pace, which has bitten me in the butt, actually. I need to pick up my own slack." He chuckled, ducking his head for another drink.

"I know you run Wilder Co. Oil. I don't know how involved it is, but I can imagine." I was thinking back to the days when my dad was still alive, and was a day trader. He was never home after he had his business set up. We were second priority to his clients. It had been miserable.

He nodded. "Yeah. I haven't quite figured out how to balance everything just yet." He flashed a quick smile. "Well, thanks for the tea, Hadley. I'll be heading up to bed now, I think. Do you need anything?"

I smiled, my warm cup between my hands. "No, but thanks for asking."

He tapped on the counter, and then picked his large body up to go out and up the stairs. I watched him leave, a little sad that his presence was no longer available to me. I only stayed down there for another couple of minutes, the tea doing the trick.

Walking to my room, I strayed a little from the path, wanting to do some uninhibited exploring. Nothing too nosy, just really, a chance for me to get my bearings. I dabbled through the family room, working my way around the exterior of the house mostly, exploring the different porches. They were so fun, with the different views and the eclectic furniture thrown on them. I saw a checkered board to the side with a couple of rocking chairs, and wondered if that happened to be the one that Ashley had mentioned playing on with his grandpa.

I sat out there for a few minutes, rocking back and forth, enjoying the night breeze, when I heard gravel pop in the driveway.

Curious as to who would be out here this late at night, I moved to the railing to peer down at whomever had come up. It was a truck that had a bar of lights across the top of it, with some kind of lift kit on the frame. Ever so silently, a man stuck his head out of the window on the passenger side, looked around, and then rolled his window back up.

Without another bit of notice, the truck rolled around and headed back down the incline. "They were probably just lost," I whispered to myself in the night.

But something didn't sit right. Something was off.

I didn't know what, but I knew I needed to tell Ashley.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

I could feel them.

Two tiny sets of grubby hands touching my face. One set was tracing my eyelids, circling down my nose and lips, while the other played with my hair, pulling it lightly. "Do you think she's dead?"

"No..." Came the high pitched reply. "She's jus' sweeping."

I slowly cranked an eyeball open, hoping that an unwashed appendage didn't make it's way to my retina. "She's awake!" Came the forced whisper, followed by a multitude of giggles. I could feel them slinking off the bed, the thud of their feet hitting the floor.

Groaning, I rolled to my side, swiping a wet substance from the side of my mouth. "Ew," I continued to clean, wiping the saliva from my cheek and chin.

"You drool!"

I turned to watch Mav peek out from under my bed. "Oh, I do?" My croaky voice asked.

"And you make a really weird sound with your nose, like this," August piped in. He let his head hang back, and began, "Schwaaa...bruuuu...Shwaaa!"

"You mean, I snore?" My eyebrow lifted only slightly, my eyes still at a slit.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that." He rolled his eyes, coming into full view from beside my bedside table. Crawling back on top of the blanket, he bounced on his knees, "What are we gonna do today, Ms. Hadley? Huh? You wanna go fishing?"

I thumped back into my pillows, watching their blonde heads come to crowd me. "Guys, what time is it, exactly?"

"It's only about six-thirty."

Ashley's voice jerked me up from the bedframe. His broad, muscular body was leaned against the door, his arms crossed across his chest. He was there in gray suit pants, a white crisp shirt unbuttoned at his neck.

There was a twinkled in his eye as his lopsided grin slowly rounded up on his cheek. "I should've mentioned their early risers." He chuckled.  I could feel his eyes traveling down the length of me, undoing the blanket that covered my legs and lower half. I felt naked under his appraisal. Moving my hand to pat down my braid, I tried to avoid eye contact.

"Th-that's no problem," I stuttered, wondering if I should scramble for a robe right about now. I was slinging my feet to the side of the bed when Ashley started barking at the boys, "Git down from there, you rascals! Git yourselves to the kitchen for breakfast! No breaking nothing, and no animals in the house, understand?" His icy blue eyes were snapping with the demands.

"Yes, sir!" The boys chimed as they galloped out of the room.

I sat uncertain as Ashley took a step closer to the bed. "Sorry," he said, his hand coming to scratch at the dark whiskers on his chin. "They're used to getting up with me. We are usually up around 5 or 6, just depending on the weather." He was smirking, his ever steady gaze fixed on me in the most unsettling way. I was squirming, not sure what to do with myself.

"I guess I should..." I trailed, starting to shift to get up.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I should let you," he laughed, turning to exit through the door.

I watched him leave, appreciating the way that his trouser slacks tugged his backside just the right way. "I wonder where he's off to..."

I hurriedly threw on some shorts, picking out a baseball shirt from my pile. "This will have to do." I skipped my way down to the kitchen, wondering what they boys normally did for breakfast, and trying to clear my head of everything Ashley.

Ashley was beside the fridge, bending to pull out orange juice, milk, and eggs. On the counter was an array of flour and goop that I took to be pancake batter. I went to stand beside the mess, taking control of testing the batter as it laid on the heated surface. "I think it's time to flip them," I spoke as I took the flat spatula from the counter.

"Oh! Hadley. Perfect. If you think they're ready, go ahead and do it." He swiped his forehead, smearing a remnant of flour across his face.

"Oh no! Uhm, you've got some pancake..." I was motioning with my hands to his forehead. Confused, Ashley lifted his hand. "Where? On my head?" He questioned.

"Yes," I said, laughing as he wiped more of the white dust onto his face.

"Here," I cooed. Turning, I picked a clean cloth from the counter. "Let me help." I reached forward to clean the spot, loosing my footing in the spin. I pitched forward, reeling over my own foot. "Ah!" I yelped, noticing too late that I hadn't hit the floor.

I was inside Ashley's arms. I hadn't had time to imagine what this would feel like, but now that I was here...

It was fantastic. I could feel his muscles through his shirt as they flexed to hold my weight. I could feel the way his heart was thumping, probably from the surprise of my fall. I could see how clear his eyes were, and how soft his touch on my side was.  And how deliriously delicious he smelled. 

I was smitten.

"Are you OK?" His voice was low, rumbling in my ear. His laugh was slow, as he carefully corrected my feet underneath me.

"Yeah, uhm, sorry." I offered, shrugging as I held up the rag. "I'm a little clumsy sometimes."

"Mmm," he hummed, his hands still holding my sides, his thumbs doing little circles on my skin.

"Can I?" I smiled, lifting the cloth to his face to wipe the smudge.

He didn't say a word as I gingerly brushed the mess away. His breath was on my cheek, his hands still on my waist, holding perfectly still as I cleaned his skin. When I was done, I stepped back to move away, but his hands hadn't moved.

"Thank you," he muttered, his eyes cloudy as his eyes traveled down my face, stopping at my lips.

"Well this looks right cozy," Granny's boisterous voice echoed from the doorway. "Care to let me in on what's going on here?" Her eyebrows were pitched up into her hairline, the wrinkles of her skin framing her face in the most comical way.

"Hadley here tried to kill herself, and I had to save her." Ashley kept his eyes on me while he answered her, a wink dropping as he lowered his arms. "The boys have breakfast, Gran. What're you doing here this early?"

Granny's unamused features lead me to look where she was directing her gaze. The pancakes had burned, dark gray puffs of smoke escaping from under the patties. "Yeah." She huffed. "Looks delicious."

I laughed as I backed away, taking the spatula into my hand. I scraped the contents into the trash, ready to try again. "That was all my fault. I was supposed to be flipping them when I fell."

"Some fall." Granny said suspiciously. "I'm here," she started, directing the conversation to Ashley. "Because I'm normally here when you're leaving. You're going into the offices today, correct?" She had grabbed her apron from the back of a chair, donning it like her hero's cape.

"Yes, but only for the afternoon." He took a swig of orange juice from his glass. "I'll be back tonight. Coffee?" He asked, looking at me.

"Yes, please." I grinned. "I need caffeine in a drip."

"I'm sure after last night."  He winked again, licking his lips as he stepped away from me.  My heart was still racing from the contact.

I shot a nervous grin at Granny, wondering what in the world was going through her head. "So you come up when Mr. Wilder leaves? What can I do today that you normally do? I need to learn the ropes."  I could feel my smile.  It was too big, too eager on my face.

"Seems you have a pretty good hand on that, dearie." She droned sarcastically. "I'll let you help with the laundry. Ashley says he can do it, but he gets so behind it smells up the whole house. If you just do his and the boys, we'll be doing great." She took a wet rag to the counter cleaning up the leftover flour.

"Your pancakes are going to burn again if you don't flip them." She was sniffing the air around the griddle. "Try not to trip this time."