Freeing Her (Irresistibly Bound 4)

Chapter One

F aith slipped the dress over her head and examined herself in her bedroom mirror. The shapeless shift dress was a dull shade of blue and went down past her knees. She frowned. She looked reliable. Responsible. That was what she was going for. But she didn’t look like herself.

She pulled off the dress and tossed it onto her bed, then began flipping through her closet again. Surely she had something less frumpy that still looked professional. She needed to make a good first impression.

Faith glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. She only had five minutes until she had to leave for her job interview. She had a good feeling about this job. She’d been searching for a stable nanny position for months now. Over the past year, she’d had jobs on and off, but none of them had lasted. She’d had to deal with entitled brats, parents who treated her like a servant, or worse, parents who expected her to single-handedly raise their children.

However, this job sounded promising. A family she’d worked for in the past had recommended her to a friend of theirs, a divorcee named Eve. Faith didn’t know much about her, other than the fact that she had twins, a boy and a girl. The address she’d been given was in an upper-class suburb so the family had to be outrageously rich. In Faith’s experience that usually meant spoiled kids and detached parents, but Faith was staying positive.

She pulled a blouse from her closet and held it up before her. It was white with a contrasting black collar. She slipped it on, along with a black A-line skirt, and inspected herself in the mirror again.

It was an improvement on the dress, although it was a little drab for Faith’s tastes. For most of her life, she’d been forced to dress conservatively. Now that she was free to experiment, her tastes were on the wilder side. From her clothes to her hair, her appearance was ever-changing. Over the years, she’d dyed her hair every color imaginable, from black to bright pink.

But for now she’d gone back to a natural-looking light brown. The kind of people wealthy enough to hire someone to take care of their kids full-time didn’t want pink-haired nannies. They wanted only the most respectable, dependable people to watch over their little angels.

Her cell phone buzzed. She dug it out from under the pile of clothes on her bed. It was a message from her friend Lindsey.

Good luck with the interview! Let me know how it goes.

Faith shot Lindsey a reply and picked up her purse, tucking her phone away in it. It was time to get going. She paused by her dresser, then grabbed her favorite lipstick and swiped it across her lips, turning them a warm shade of red.

She smiled into the mirror. That’s better.

Faith rang Eve’s doorbell. She’d never been to this part of the city before. All the houses were multistory mansions, with photo-perfect gardens and expensive cars parked in the driveways. But the house she stood before, a three-story mansion at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, was the grandest of them all.

The front door opened. A tall, blonde woman stood in the doorway, her deep hazel eyes hidden behind a pair of stylish tortoiseshell rimmed glasses. She looked to be in her early thirties.

The woman gave her a tight smile. “You must be Faith.”

“Yes,” Faith said. “Hi.”

“Eve.” The woman stepped to the side and gestured into the house. “Why don’t you come in?”

Faith followed Eve inside, Eve’s heels clicking on the marble floor with each step. Faith examined her as they walked. She was beautiful in an understated way. Despite her slender, willowy frame, her confident manner made it clear that she was anything but delicate. She wore a light-gray, structured knee-length dress that subtly enhanced her shape. Her hair was curly, but not like Faith’s, which hung in loose, wild waves, no matter what she did with it. Eve’s curls were neatly arranged in a short bob style that reminded Faith of a vintage pin-up model. Although the look could have used some color, Eve exuded a sense of style, which was something Faith had always found attractive in a person.

Not that Faith was thinking about her potential boss that way.

Faith peered around her as they walked down the hall. There were an endless number of rooms, all lavishly decorated. It wasn’t surprising. Only the wealthiest of families could afford full-time nannies. But this house was like nothing Faith had ever seen. With its pristine white walls, marble floors, and elaborate decor, it was a palace in the middle of suburbia.

However, there was something off about it. Something missing. Faith realized what it was when Eve directed her into a lounge room. The house was too quiet. Too neat and organized. There were no signs that children lived here at all.