The moment I saw the handsome man standing there, my heart skipped a beat--or maybe two or three. Then it continued to race furiously. My cheeks flushed red, and my eyes were bright as I smiled in greeting at the billionaire James Maxwell.
Aria, who had her body so close to mine, must have felt my racing heart and looked at me curiously.
"What's wrong, Mia? You're going red, and your heart is going so fast," she asked innocently, concerned for my well-being. "Look, I can hear it. Boom! Boom! Woo... It's so fast."
My blush intensified. Lord! How do I explain this sort of reaction to an innocent six-year-old girl? That this sort of response--the heart racing, the rising of the body temperature, the intense blushing, and the bright eyes were all due to love. That when a woman saw the person she was in love with, this was how her body reacted? How?
Luckily, Aria's demand for my answer was interrupted by Alfie and Sammy, who naughtily jumped onto the bed and started messing around, invading our space. Alfie barked loudly as he snuggled his little body between us while Sammy came and made himself comfortable on top of me.
Sammy wasn't that big, but he was still heavy. I sighed and said, "Sammy! You naughty dog. Get off! You're heavy." I growled, shaking my body and trying to make the dog leave by pushing him away.
The canine refused to obey my pathetic command and snuggled closer, licking my cheek with adoration.
Aria started laughing because of my look of frustration. Soon both Alfie and Sammy joined in, barking outrageously loud. I thought the happy noise could be heard from outside the house, miles away. I was sure the rest of the people who were occupying the house, Ms. Lane, the prim and proper housekeeper, and Sophie, Aria's beautiful nanny, must wonder what the heck was going on up here.
The master of the house himself, the notoriously handsome billionaire James Maxwell, simply stood there at the door with his arms folded across his chest, his body leaning slightly on the doorframe as he watched us with amusement. He seemed to enjoy the show, because he'd been doing that numerous times since our return.
Most mornings, he'd open the door and simply stand there, watching Aria and me giggle or talking nonsense before he ushered Aria to get ready for the day.
I sat up now, sliding Sammy down from my belly to my lap. I hugged the dog in adoration and said, "Morning, Sammy."
Sammy gave me a bark in greeting and then licked my cheek again. I laughed as I slowly drifted my eyes to James, my heart still racing.
"Morning, James," I said.
A snort from the arrogant billionaire came my way, which was followed by, "Morning, sunshine."
Every time he referred to me as sunshine, I felt warm in my belly and a beautiful sensation passed along my spine. I tightened my arms around Sammy and asked, "What time are we leaving again?"
"Nine," he replied. "Better get up and get ready."
I nodded in agreement. It was seven thirty in the morning now, and Aria and I needed to shower, get dressed, and then have breakfast before departing.
Aria jumped up then and shrieked excitedly. "It's nearly time to go. It's nearly time to go." To James she said, "Good morning, Daddy."
James laughed and returned the greeting. "Morning, sweetheart."
Aria continued to giggle, repeatedly chanting, "It's time to go to Disneyland! It's time to go to Disneyland!"
Alfie enthusiastically joined the chorus with his barking, even though he wasn't going anywhere today. Not to Disneyland where James, Aria, and I were heading. And of course Aria's beautiful nanny, Sophie.
On cue, the elegant brunette magically appeared at the doorway. Already dressed in a sexy summer dress with her hair chicly done and her face beautifully made up, she was dazzling standing there next to James. From where I was in bed, the sight of the two of them side by side was breathtaking. Now, this was the type of woman James should be with. Beautiful. Sexy. Confident.
Simply put, everything I wasn't.
I swallowed at the enchanted vista before me and felt my heart wrench in pain.
Chapter 2
Mia
I gritted my teeth and frowned darkly as I turned away in disgust. Surely the sight of the perfect woman reminded me just how lowly and unwelcome I was in this household where Sophie was concerned. Ever since the first day I'd met her, she had given me the cold shoulder, and now that I had returned--and furthermore, was living with James as his mistress--I was treated by her as a thing of abhorrence.
I understood being a mistress to a billionaire was regarded as low taste, a profession similar to a prostitute, a vocation the majority found absolutely disgusting. I knew not only Sophie, but Ms. Lane, the cook, the two maids, as well as the gardeners and security guards who worked in this mansion were thinking along the same lines--that I was a leech, using my body to lure James into my clutches so I could suck his money from him for the sake of my new extravagant, luxurious lifestyle. Not that I had ever thought of doing such a selfish thing to James, or that this lifestyle I was leading was extravagant or luxurious in any way. All I had ever wanted was to be able to support myself, to stand on my own two feet and live freely.
It sucked to be misjudged and treated like a second citizen in this household by James's staff. I wondered if it would be better if I were to live somewhere else. Like a small, one-bedroom apartment or something that I could very easily afford. After all, I did intend on finding myself a proper job, as I had discussed with James back in Vegas. The idea was certainly viable, and all I needed to do was to find a good time to bring up the subject with James.
Thinking about that now made me all the more determined to leave. Of course, I was going to miss Aria, but she could always visit me during the weekend and we could have a sleepover.
I flicked my gaze back to Sophie. Then, I thought in triumph, I wouldn't have to put up with this very beautiful yet nasty woman anymore. It would certainly end her sarcastic, belittling
insults she routinely hurled at me almost on a daily basis. Most of the time, I'd let the hurtful words fly past my head, pretending I hadn't heard any of it. Other times, however, the expressions truly hit their mark, and they were very painful.
I was doing my best to keep it all in. After all, I was very good at that. Ten years of being constantly ridiculed, abused, and molested by my aunt and uncle did that to me.
I'd put up a barrier. I'd thickened my skin against the constant onslaught--physically, mentally, and emotionally. Over the years, I had met with many of those types of people: the abuser, the tormentor. There were my aunt and uncle, as well as that PE teacher who liked to pick on me for some reason, and the popular girl in school and her group of worshippers who thought I was beneath their feet. Not to mention my bastard of an ex-boss at the restaurant, as well as the small staff who didn't seem to like me one bit, back in Mystic Spring.
And now Sophie. She was just another of those people, an abuser. A tormentor. An initiator. A bully. And I'd known how to put up with those types of people by ignoring them, by putting up a wall, by pretending their words didn't hurt me--couldn't hurt me.
"Good morning, Aria," Sophie said sweetly, which drew the little girl's attention. It did mine, too, away from my deep thoughts of the vile woman.
Aria stopped her giggling and said, too soberly for my liking, "Are we going to get ready now?"
I thought she sounded reluctant, almost as if the light just went out of her voice, which affected me in a negative way. I felt pissed all of a sudden. Aria had been having so much fun with me, and suddenly, when this woman appeared, everything changed. I knew I had no right to feel this way. God, I knew I had no right to even get involved with this family, with this household. Sophie was Aria's nanny, a highly regarded and noble profession in the childcare sector. The total opposite from mine--that was if one even regarded a mistress to a billionaire as a job of sorts.
Sophie had all the rights to be involved with Aria, taking care of the little girl and teaching her the proper manners and all that sort, the motherly position so to speak. Whereas I, on the other hand, was simply an outsider.