Professor Astor (Off-Limits)

I’m used to being a nanny for rich families, but it feels different this time. The expensive car Charlotte arranged for me just makes me anxious. Somehow, it feels like the stakes are higher now. This car isn’t a make or model I know of, it’s been custom built for Adrian Astor’s kids, and driving it makes me anxious. I can’t even imagine how expensive it must be. Do his kids really need that level of security?

I’m hyper alert as I walk up to the school, following their protocols on auto-pilot. I’ve had other kids that attended this school, so while they’re familiar with me, they can’t release Colton and Lucy to me without identification and clearance checks.

I know I’m well on time, yet I can’t resist checking my watch. The last thing I want to do is keep the kids waiting on their very first day at school. Five minutes. Perfect timing.

I nod at several of the other nannies that I recognize, a few of them my colleagues. Most are in uniforms, and I’m glad Thor didn’t ask me to wear one. Changing always added some time to my workday, and somehow it feels like that would just make the divide between Thor and me bigger. That shouldn’t matter to me, but it does.

“Leia!” Colton says, his eyes wide with surprise.

I grin as I wave him over. “Didn’t your dad tell you I’d be picking you up?”

Colton shakes his head, his excitement evident. “No, but he probably thinks he did. That happens a lot to Dad.”

I smile and place my hand on his shoulder as we wait for Lucy to come out. “I’ll be picking you up every day now. Your dad hired me as your nanny.”

“Cool,” he says. “We can play Fortnite together. Have you ever played that?”

I chuckle and nod. “Coincidentally, I have. I’ve got two nephews your age, and it’s all they do. I had to learn or be the boring aunt, you know? No way was I going to let them call me boring!”

“Smart,” Colton says, throwing me a lopsided grin. “But I don’t believe you’re any good.”

I shrug. “I guess you’re about to find out.”

Lucy pauses in the doorway when she sees us, looking just as surprised as Colton did. “Leia?” she says, her tone reserved.

I nod. “Hi Lucy. How was school?”

She falls silent and stares at me for a moment. “Good.”

I nod as I lead them to the car. Lucy doesn’t say a word, and I can’t figure out if she isn’t happy to see me, or if she just didn’t have a good day at school. I really hope she wasn’t expecting Thor to show up, because I can imagine that’d have her filled with disappointment.

Thankfully, Colton doesn’t stop talking once we get into the car, recounting every second of his day. “The girls all think my British accent is cool. The people here are weird, though. They call trousers pants. Don’t they know that pants are, like, your underwear?”

I burst out laughing at the bewilderment in his voice. “Yes, there are quite a few differences between how the British say some things, and how Americans say them. Most of them I think you’ll be familiar with thanks to your games, but others might be new to you. How about I make a list for you with common differences, so it’s a bit easier for you?”

“Yeah,” Colton says. “That’d be nice. Thanks, Leia.”

I’m oddly nervous as we walk into the house. I’ve been working as a nanny for years, and even though all families are different, the job is mostly the same. Somehow, it just feels different this time. I’m scared of making mistakes, and though I shouldn’t, I want the kids to like me.

“Lenora!” Colton says, greeting the housekeeper. “Did you miss me?”

I bite back a smile as Colton charms the woman who must be in her mid-fifties. I have no doubt he’s after snacks, but we’ve been given strict instructions not to give the kids any. From what I understand, Thor doesn’t like having a housekeeper, so she only comes in for a few hours during the day to cook for the family and tidy the house, and then she comes back to make dinner. It fits in with his personality, I suppose. He doesn’t seem like the type to want live-in staff.

“Come on,” I tell them. “Lenora made you a delicious lunch. Let’s have some food before we do homework.”

I glance around the huge kitchen equipped with every bit of tech they might need — most of which I suspect Thor doesn’t even use. This house looks like a small replica of Amara’s grandfather’s house. It’s modern and obviously expensive, and it doesn’t really seem to suit Thor. But then again, I don’t really know him as well as I thought I did.

“Ugh,” Colton says, throwing his arms up in exasperation. This kid is a handful, but in the very best way. “I thought you said we were going to play Fortnite.”

I nod and wag my finger at him. “I did, but I didn’t say when. The quicker you finish your homework, the longer we get to play.”

“Aaargh,” he says, running his hands through his hair, and I try my hardest not to smile. I wonder if he takes after Thor.

Lucy is quiet and sits down for lunch without a single complaint. I have a feeling that winning her over will not be easy. A primary part of my job is to make sure she’s adjusting well, but I can’t do that if she won’t let me in.

The afternoon passes by quickly, and I manage to prepare for my classes while the kids do their homework. They’re not unruly kids, but they both seem lonely. It’s going to take time for them to become truly comfortable around me.

Lucy sits up on the sofa when Adrian walks in, and he smiles at her. “Hi, sweetie,” he says, opening his arms wide. She rises reluctantly and hugs him seemingly hesitantly, but I see the happy smile on her face. She hasn’t smiled like that all day. There’s something so endearing about seeing Thor with his daughter. He loves her so fiercely that it’s hard for me to stay angry at him. I get why he did what he did two years ago and don’t actually hold it against him, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.

Colton doesn’t even look up from his game when Adrian ruffles his hair, and Thor shakes his head to himself.

“Follow me, Leia,” he says, and I tense. “I’d like to hear about your first workday.”

I’m instantly nervous. It’s odd to have different parts of my life intersect in a way they never have before. He’s my professor and my boss, but he’s also the man that made me forget everything but him as he laid me down underneath the stars. It’s becoming harder and harder to pretend that I don’t remember, that I don’t still want him as badly as I did then. It takes all of me to remain professional, and each time he smiles at me, I want to give in.

My heart hammers in my chest when he walks up the stair, and I bite down on my lip when he walks straight into what I assume is his bedroom. Though none of the rooms in this house are off-limits to me, his room is one I never expected to enter.

I pause in the doorway and take his room in. It’s in contrast with his ultra-modern house. His bedroom is done up in dark wooden tones. It’s masculine and every bit as luxurious, but it has a lot more character than the rest of the house. My eyes fall to his bed, and images of the two of us flash through my mind.

Adrian places his briefcase on his bed and turns to me as he pulls his tie loose. “How were they?”

I watch as he unbuttons his shirt, letting it fall open. Damn him. Why does he still look as good as he did two years ago? For a while I was hoping that my memories of him were glorified, but the glimpse he’s giving me of his abs tells me otherwise.

Does he realize how intimate this is? He’s treating me like I’m his wife, chatting with me after a long day at work. I frown and cross my arms, a sudden thought occurring to me. “Do you take all of your employees into your bedroom like this?”

He pauses for a moment before pulling his shirt off. “No. Just you, Ley.”

I blink in surprise, my cheeks heating rapidly. I don’t know where to look when he’s standing in front of me in those suit trousers, his torso bare. Does he realize what he’s doing to me? “I… they were fine. Lucy wasn’t very talkative, and I’m not sure what she thinks of me as her nanny. She didn’t seem happy to see me, and I can’t tell how school is going because she won’t tell me. I gave her the book I promised her last time, but other than a polite thank you, I didn’t get any other responses from her.”

He nods and runs a hand through his hair, messing it up. It reminds me of the way I grabbed his hair, his lips pressed against my neck, and I force myself to look away. Two years, and the memories are still so vivid. I breathe a sigh of relief when he pulls on a t-shirt. I hate that I still find him so attractive.

“She wasn’t like that before the divorce. She used to be as cheerful as Colton is. To be honest, between the two of them, he was the quiet one. I’m worried about her, but I’m not sure what to do. I was hoping she might like you, that having a nanny would make her miss her mother less.”

I shake my head. “A nanny can’t replace a mother, Professor.”

“Don’t call me that when we’re at home.”

“Then what would you like me to call you?”

“Adrian or Thor. It’s up to you.”

I look down at my shoes and purse my lips. I need boundaries between us if I’m going to survive him one more time. Though I don’t want to, he makes me waver in my convictions every time I see him. “I can’t. We have a strict no-fraternization rule at Asha’s firm.”

He crosses his arms, drawing attention to his biceps, and I force myself to look him in the eye. “I’m making it a requirement,” he says, his voice stern.

I sigh and push a strand of hair behind my ear. “Mr. Astor,” I say, trying my hardest to stay professional. “I’m not here to socialize with you. I’m here as your children’s nanny, because I truly believe I can make a difference when it comes to them. I have no interest in reminiscing with you, nor do I want to act overly familiar with you.”

He grits his teeth and stares me down. “I dare say there’s no way for you to become any more intimately acquainted with me, Leia. If you can take my cock and beg for more, you can call me by my name. Let’s not pretend that didn’t happen.”

My lips fall open in shock, a flash of anger blinding me for a moment. I straighten my shoulders and fish my phone out of my pocket.

“Very well, Adrian,” I snap, handing him my phone. “Come to think of it, you should give me your phone number in case of emergency. The only point of contact I have right now is Charlotte, but it seems appropriate to have your phone number too. Try to give me the right number this time, will you?”

He types his phone number in angrily, and this time he waits for his phone to ring before hanging up. I snatch my phone out of his hands the moment he’s done and walk away, letting his bedroom door slam closed out of spite.

I promised myself I’d be professional around him, yet the moment our conversation turned even remotely personal, I lost my composure. I need to do better.