The only one he wanted was the stubborn young woman behind the curtain.
She opened it back up as she modeled a knee-length black skirt and sexy-as-fuck blouse. He could imagine fucking her across the table in the library.
“Good.”
She rolled her eyes. The curtain closed again, and he stared at the floor. Her ankles were visible. She wore a pair of sports socks that fit to her ankles. The skirt dropped to the floor, and he wondered if he could get away with making her change into some new lingerie.
No, it was too early. He didn’t want to push her too far.
She opened the curtain, and he accepted the outfits. Some were just to screw with her, while others were for places he hoped to take her.
After twenty minutes, she finally called his name.
“What is it?”
“Will you come here, please?” she asked.
Getting to his feet, he pocketed his cell phone and opened the curtain. In the mirror he saw the long expanse of her back. “I need you to help me zip it up if that’s okay. I don’t know if it’s the right size.”
The dress she had on was red, and he’d picked it with the intention of taking her out one night on the town.
Stepping behind the curtain, he made sure it was closed.
“Let me,” he said.
She kept nibbling that lip of hers even as she turned, giving him her back.
She wore a plain white bra. He couldn’t resist touching the strap.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Gripping the zipper, he held the dress together and slowly slid it up, making sure he touched as much of her skin as possible without it seeming too obvious.
She let out a gasp as he put a hand to her hip afterward. Staring at her reflection, he breathed against her neck. Her nipples stood out, and as he teased her hip, he watched as they got tighter.
Her eyes dilated, and she looked so good.
He wanted to fuck her there. Instead, he cupped her ass. “This fits you really well.”
“I can’t accept this. It would be a waste of money.”
“Why?”
“I’ve got nowhere to go out in it. It would be silly to have it.”
“I want you to have it.”
“We can’t always have what we want,” she said.
“I can.”
Chapter Four
After a busy morning of walking Caesar around the garden and letting him enjoy some time on the grass, Tessa had brought him back to the nursery and put him down for a nap. Michele was nowhere to be found, and the last she saw of Jessica, she was arguing with Benedict.
Yesterday’s shopping trip with Alonzo had been … interesting. She didn’t know what else to think about the time she spent with him. He’d made her purchase all of the clothes he’d picked out, including the red evening dress she had every intention of returning. They packages were due to be delivered by the end of the week.
She didn’t know what to think of his sudden interest in her. It wasn’t like she encouraged him to like her.
“I’m overthinking it. I know I am.”
She hadn’t seen him that morning. She didn’t know if she should still visit him tonight or not. He made everything so confusing to her.
Rubbing the back of her neck, she reached down, picking up Caesar’s used clothing. She’d changed him in such a hurry. He was constantly trying to scurry away, and even though he wanted to fall asleep, he still made her work for it.
She was folding the previous day’s washing and putting it away when the door opened silently.
She saw Jessica enter, her head pressed against the door.
Seconds later, she heard a sob.
At first Tessa didn’t have a clue what to do. This wasn’t part of her job description, and even though she worked for Jessica, they didn’t exactly get along. Neither of them really spoke about anything.
Jessica never had any input about her baby.
When another sob echoed around the room, she was worried it would wake Caesar up, and then it would be a nightmare to get him back to sleep. He became really cranky if his sleep was interrupted.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Jessica gave a tiny gasp and whirled around. “You? What the hell are you doing here?”
“It’s Caesar’s naptime. I put him down for a nap.”
Jessica put her fingers to her lips, and tears filled her eyes. “Oh, yes, of course. Yes, it’s Caesar’s naptime.”
When she moved her hands, Tessa saw the blood coming from her nose.
“What happened?”
“What?” Jessica asked.
“Your nose.”
She touched her nose coming away with blood on her fingertips. “It’s nothing.”
“That doesn’t look like nothing.” She hated to see her in pain.
“I deserved it. I shouldn’t ask questions. This is entirely my fault.”
“I don’t believe that. Would it be okay if I helped clean you up?”
“Yes, of course. You don’t have to though.”
Taking Jessica’s hands, she led her into the bathroom. As she made her take a seat on the toilet, guilt filled Tessa. She’d never seen Benedict hit Jessica. She’d heard the sounds but never saw it.